


A Different View

by sandersonsister



Series: Abandon [2]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/M, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Polyamory, Soulmates, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 11:06:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 29,722
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sandersonsister/pseuds/sandersonsister
Summary: A series of one-shots that take place during my story Abandon. Glimpses into the minds of characters besides Kageyama.





	1. Kunimi

**Author's Note:**

> I strongly recommend everyone read Abandon before this story.

From the first moment Kunimi met Kageyama Tobio he knew that the boy was just a little bit odd. Kunimi was quiet and introverted, he would much rather be at home than out with a bunch of people, but Kageyama seemed to be _afraid_ of the people around him. He always cringed back when people were close and the only thing he seemed to focus on was volleyball. Not to mention the fact that he always wore long sleeved shirts and long pants. Even when everyone was dying from the heat during practice, Kageyama was completely covered.

 

It didn’t stop him from talking to the boy. In truth, the entire reason he began talking to him in the first place was because Kunimi was curious. Curious as to why Kageyama always waited until the others left the clubroom before changing. Curious about the fact that he only seemed to focus in on a conversation whenever soulmates were mentioned. Curious to learn why he was constantly flinching when someone swung their arm a bit too close to his face, something that happened regularly in volleyball.

 

Kunimi was afraid that he knew the answer to at least one of those questions.

 

It was only a few weeks into their first year of junior high that Kunimi learned something interesting. Oikawa and Iwaizumi, the third year captain and vice-captain of their team, were soulmates. There were many different reasons that Kunimi thought this information was useful. The first reason was because his best friend, Kindaichi, obviously had a huge crush on Iwaizumi that he was never going to admit to. The second reason was because Kunimi was fairly certain that his new friend Kageyama had a similar crush on Oikawa. And the third reason was because he wanted to tell the two boys and see their reactions.

 

Reactions show you a lot about a person, after all.

 

So, he waited until he knew both Kindaichi and Kageyama were close enough to hear him before he casually said, “You know, Iwaizumi-san and Oikawa-san are soulmates.” He watched in amusement as Kindaichi’s head snapped around to face him and Kageyama’s shoulders lifted just slightly. He and Kindaichi were sitting close together, watching as Oikawa practiced setting to Iwaizumi. Kageyama was just a little ways away from them, close enough that he was part of their little “group” but far enough away that he could easily get out of taking part in the conversation. Kunimi was a little jealous.

 

“I thought I heard something about that,” Kindaichi admitted, his eyes darkening just slightly. Kunimi’s lips twitched. “I thought it was a rumor.”

 

“It’s not,” Kunimi responded, mentally rolling his eyes. All you had to do was look at their arms to see that the rumor was true. He was sure his friend had just purposely not looked. “So, what did you hear?” He asked after a moment. He was a little disappointed that Kindaichi had already heard about the two. It hadn’t been the reaction he was looking for.

 

“Apparently they’ve been at stage three for years now,” Kindaichi said, dropping his voice to a whisper.

 

“Well, they have known each other since they were six,” Kunimi drawled. His friend really could be an idiot at times. “It makes sense that they would have a strong enough connection for that.”

 

“I guess so,” Kindaichi muttered in reply. Kunimi bit back a laugh as his best friend crossed his arms over his chest and frowned darkly. Kageyama’s head tilted to the side and he peered at them from the corner of his eye. It was almost cute that the boy thought he wasn’t being noticed.

 

 “Upset that Iwaizumi-senpai isn’t your soulmate? Your crush is just too cute!” Kunimi teased.

 

“Shut up!”

 

Kunimi chuckled and leaned back against the wall, letting his eyes lazily fix on Kageyama once more. The boy was watching Oikawa and Iwaizumi closely, even more closely than he had been before Kunimi told him his ‘news’. It was quite an accomplishment because Kageyama always stared at Oikawa with an intense focus that made even the third year attention seeker uncomfortable. But Kunimi didn’t think Kageyama was watching the two boys for techniques at the moment.

 

He wondered if Kageyama even knew that he was rubbing his left arm while biting his lip hard enough to bleed.

 

Kunimi, Kindaichi, and Kageyama grew closer throughout the rest of the year. Kunimi had dropped his earlier thought of Kageyama having a crush on Oikawa. Well, he at least dropped the thought of Kageyama _knowing_ that he had a crush on Oikawa. The smaller setter was completely obsessed with Oikawa’s volleyball skills and seemed to think that the other boy could do no wrong. Considering the fact that Oikawa was always a bit petty and jealous, Kunimi figured that saying of love being blind was true when it came to the blue eyed first year. But Oikawa made it clear to Kageyama and everyone else on the team that he was the other boys rival and wouldn’t be helping him in any way.

 

Kunimi almost felt bad for him. But, since Kunimi and Kindaichi were stuck training with Oikawa while Kageyama got the much better position of working with Iwaizumi, he thought it evened out.

 

Eventually the third years graduated and Kageyama became the main setter for their team. Kindaichi and Kunimi, who had worked well with Kageyama and trained with him for the past year, found themselves playing more and more and spending less time on the bench. The three boys were still close friends but Kunimi could tell that something was wrong with Kageyama as their second year came to a close. However, the other boy refused to talk about the problem so Kunimi let it go.

 

It really wasn’t any of his business anyway.

 

He regretted it within minutes of meeting his friend during their third year. Something had happened over break, something big. Kageyama seemed to have completely closed in on himself. He refused all invitations to do things after practice, instead choosing to stay after and work on his sets and serve. Kunimi knew that the other boy’s grades were slipping – he had never been the best in class anyway but this was the first time the boy had actually failed his exams.

 

And then there was the way he was treating the team.

 

During their second year, everyone had agreed that Kageyama was the best choice for captain. But they were all regretting that decision now. Kunimi had lost count of how many times he and Kindaichi had to run out after first years that Kageyama had sent crying. He lost count of how many times he had to calm Kindaichi down after a yelling match with Kageyama. He himself had been tempted, more than once, to serve a ball at Kageyama’s head.

 

It was infuriating.

 

Even more infuriating was the fact that Kunimi knew that, whatever this tantrum was about, it was something that Kageyama refused to share with him. And Kunimi was afraid that it was something bigger than what he suspected.

 

He was also afraid that it was _exactly_ what he suspected.

 

But there were limits. Kunimi had been trying for months to get through to Kageyama, to get him to understand what he was doing to the team and to their friendship. But the other boy was oblivious. He was so focused on the game, so focused on winning, that he didn’t see the rest of his life falling down around him.

  
It came to a point where even Kunimi couldn’t take it anymore.

 

He didn’t mean to say it. The comment about the “King and his subjects”. But he had. And, before he even realized it, it wasn’t just their team referring to Kageyama Tobio as “The King of the Court”.

 

He should have felt bad about it.

 

He didn’t.

 

And then it was that match. Their final match. Kageyama just kept pushing and pushing and Kunimi knew that Kindaichi was going to snap. Knew that the team was ready to give up on their captain. On their setter.

 

And Kunimi didn’t do anything to stop it.

 

He thought about it, later that night. About letting the ball fall, about Kageyama’s face when he realized not one person on their team was even attempting to get to it. That they would rather lose the game, lose their chance at Nationals, than play with him a moment longer.

 

He should regret it.

 

He really wished that he could say he did.

 

He wasn’t surprised when Kageyama didn’t come to their last practice. As tradition, it was really a party for the third years. Kunimi and Kindaichi wished the team luck and gave advice to the new captain (since their old captain decided to skip out) and then their junior high volleyball days were over.

 

Neither Kunimi nor Kindaichi were in the same class as Kageyama. They didn’t see him in the halls. They didn’t run into him after school. They didn’t try to contact him. And Kunimi knew that whatever friendship they had was officially over.

 

The thought sent a pang through his chest.

 

He ignored it.

 

He and Kindaichi spent the break before their first year of high school practicing. After all, they were following their senpais to Aoba Johsai. They had managed to get in, even managed to get on the team, but there was no guarantee that they would be able to play. Aoba Johsai was strong and had a lot of players. Neither of them wanted to end up on the bench.

 

On that first day, Kunimi held his breath as he walked into the gym. He was almost…excited to see Oikawa and Iwaizumi again. Not that he would tell either of them that. Especially Oikawa. But he was also worried. He knew how Kageyama had looked up to the other two boys. He and Kageyama had even talked about joining the two in high school after they graduated from junior high. He was positive that he would see the other boy standing there and their current relationship would cause friction with the team. It might even cause all three of them to be sitting on the bench or regulated to the stands.

 

But Kageyama wasn’t there.

 

He wasn’t the only person looking at each of the first years. Iwaizumi’s head was tilted to the side, a frown pulling at his features as he looked at each person. Finally, his eyes landed on Kunimi and he looked toward the empty space beside him pointedly. The space where Kageyama had always stood in junior high. Kunimi avoided his gaze.

 

After all, he couldn’t answer the unspoken question.

 

He had no clue what had happened to Kageyama Tobio.

 

It wasn’t as if they were friends.

 

Not anymore.


	2. Iwaizumi and Realizations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi knew Oikawa was his soulmate. So why was he suddenly suspicious of a certain first year setter from Karasuno?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow guys! You seriously blew me away by the response to the first one-shot. Thank you so much for your comments and kudos! I really hope you enjoy this just as much. Make sure to let me know!

Iwaizumi was surprised when he didn’t see Kageyama Tobio on the first day of his third year. He knew that the boy worshiped the ground Oikawa walked on, even after that incident in junior high. He had fully expected to see the younger setter standing there beside Kunimi and Kindaichi, ready to start practicing and asking Oikawa to teach him to serve.

 

But he wasn’t there.

 

He looked toward Kunimi but the sleepy boy was avoiding his gaze. Iwaizumi frowned. He had seen their last game. He had figured the younger boys were fighting. But he had thought they would have made up by now.

 

They were friends, after all.

 

He mentioned it to Oikawa later that night but his soulmate just shook his head. “Tobio-chan wasn’t on the registration list, Iwa-chan. I don’t think he decided to come here after all.”

 

The words didn’t make Iwaizumi feel any better about the situation.

 

And then coach announced a practice match with Karasuno High School. He was surprised. They had never played against Karasuno before and he was sure they weren’t someone he remembered from previous tournaments. So he asked the coach and found out the true reason.

 

Oikawa had asked.

 

Because Karasuno High School was where Kageyama Tobio had decided to go.

 

“Are you serious, Trashykawa?!”  


“We need to see how he’s improved, Iwa-chan! And don’t call me that!”

 

So they threw themselves into practice. Iwaizumi knew Oikawa Tooru well, he knew that nothing he had to say would change the other boys mind. Kageyama was on Oikawa’s revenge list, number two if he remembered correctly, and this was probably a better spot for it than during Inter-High.

 

And then the idiot overworked himself, _again_ , and sprained his ankle. He was regulated to the bench until the doctor cleared him and, much to his irritation, didn’t have an open appointment until the day of the match.

 

“Just hold them off until I get there, Iwa-chan! Don’t score a lot of points so you’ll still be playing when I’m done!”

 

“Such a crappy guy,” Iwaizumi muttered as he walked away from his squawking soulmate and best friend.

 

That was why Iwaizumi was standing on the court without Oikawa by his side when he saw Kageyama Tobio once again. He was lined up next to the rest of his team, letting his eyes move over each player across from him, when they landed on a pair of familiar blue. He felt his lips twitch up slightly and he inclined his head in greeting. Kageyama seemed to hesitate before doing the same. They all bowed to one another before quickly moving into position.

 

He turned his head slightly to look at Kunimi. “What’s Kageyama doing at Karasuno?”

 

The other boy avoided his gaze, the same way he had been whenever the young setter was brought up since the beginning of the school term. “I don’t know.”

 

“Right,” Iwaizumi muttered as the game started.

 

It was amusing.

 

There was no doubt that Kageyama had skill. It was there for everyone to see. Yet…well…his team seemed a bit…of a mess. They didn’t have an ace or libero. Kageyama and the tall kid with glasses had absolutely no communication going on between them. And…the short middle blocker was just…

 

Well, Iwaizumi didn’t know what to say about that kid.

 

He ran into his teammates, tripped Tobio, and knocked over the referee stand. Iwaizumi almost wished that Oikawa was there just to watch this. It was certainly entertaining.

 

And then Kageyama seemed to snap.

 

He stormed over to the small redhead and grabbed the front of his jersey. Iwaizumi unconsciously took a step forward, wanting to pull Kageyama off of the other kid and calm him down, before he remembered that it wasn’t his place. He wasn’t Kageyama’s vice-captain any longer. Because Kageyama had decided to not join their school.

 

Why did that thought annoy him so much?

 

But then Karasuno’s captain was pulling the two away from one another and speaking quietly to Tobio, so Iwaizumi forcefully pushed the thoughts from his mind and prepared for the next serve.

 

Then he relaxed when he saw it was the small redhead.

 

The whistle blew and the ball was thrown in the air. It hit the small boys hand with a resounding _smack_ before sailing…

 

…right into the back of Kageyama’s head.

 

Now, if it had been anyone else, Iwaizumi would have been laughing. But, at the moment the ball hit the first-year setter, an explosion of pain erupted in Iwaizumi’s own head and he found himself cursing loudly as he leaned forward. He blinked his eyes for a moment, trying to rid himself of the black spots swimming in his vision, and glanced up in surprise and confusion.

 

_What the hell was that?_

“You alright?” Makki asked in concern and Iwaizumi nodded sharply. Whatever that had been, it was gone now.

 

He looked across the net to make sure Kageyama was okay but saw the setter looming over the redhead, saying something angrily. The redhead looked as if he was going to die from fright and Iwaizumi bit back a laugh.

 

Until Kageyama, for some reason, decided to start hitting himself in the back of the head.

 

And with every single hit, Iwaizumi’s head began to ache.

 

He closed his eyes tightly and let out a deep breath.

 

This…this couldn’t really be happening.

 

Maybe it was sympathy pain.

 

That was a thing, right?

 

“Seriously, you alright? You’re looking a bit green…” Makki said, his brows furrowed as he watched him. Iwaizumi noticed he seemed to take a step back, as if he was afraid Iwaizumi was sick and he was going to puke all over him.

 

“Fine,” Iwaizumi said once more through clenched teeth.

 

Where the _hell_ was Oikawa?

 

The game continued and Iwaizumi watched Kageyama carefully. He and Oikawa had known each other since they were seven. They had known they were soulmates since they were eight and could truly understand what the word met. They had never, never, had the smallest hint that they had a polybond.

 

Well…

 

Images began to flash through his mind. Instances where they had bruises that both of them swore they hadn’t caused. When Oikawa hurt his knee and he was supposed to stay down but Iwaizumi could feel the pressure being placed on it. Oikawa had stated over and over again that he hadn’t gotten up but Iwaizumi hadn’t believed him. How could he when the proof was right there?

 

But…if what he was thinking was correct…

 

But wouldn’t he _know_?

 

Iwaizumi tried to shake the thought off. It had to just be some sort of coincidence. But things kept happening. Kageyama dove for a ball and the familiar feel of the impact hit Iwaizumi’s body. He spiked the ball and Kageyama along with the glasses kid jumped to block. He felt the familiar, momentary pain in his hand, as if he had been the one to block his own ball.

 

And, on top of the fact that Iwaizumi had no idea what to think in this situation, they lost the set.

 

Just in time for Oikawa to show up.

 

Perfect timing, as always.

 

He saw Oikawa talking to Kageyama, knew that the captain was probably antagonizing him, but he couldn’t bring himself to go over and say anything. Not at the moment. He was confused. And frustrated.

 

It couldn’t be what he thought it was.

 

They began the next set and he inwardly scowled at the fact that they were losing to this disjointed team when Oikawa was finally placed in as a pitch server. He heard Kageyama curse from across the net and couldn’t help but send a smirk in his direction.

 

But even that didn’t stop Kageyama and the small kid’s quick attack.

 

And they lost.

  
To Karasuno.

 

Damn, Oikawa was going to throw a fit. Iwaizumi was going to have to deal with his whining for the next _week_. “Iwa-chan, what the hell was that?” Oikawa demanded as the teams began to disperse.

 

“An incredible quick attack that we need to deal with before we play them again,” Iwaizumi answered, his eyes finding Kageyama as he spoke with his teammates.

 

“He found someone to hit that toss? Are you _kidding_ me?!”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “You saw it yourself, Trashykawa.”

 

Oikawa huffed in irritation and crossed his arms over his chest. “Fine, fine. We’ll deal with it.” He seemed to pause a moment and then a cold hand was placed on the back of Iwaizumi’s neck. Iwaizumi leaned into the touch for a moment before pulling away. There were too many people around. He didn’t care if the team saw them…like that, but Oikawa’s fan club was a different story. They were well aware that the two were soulmates but that didn’t stop their petty comments. Iwaizumi had no problem standing up for himself but it always put Oikawa in a bad mood when it happened. “What happened out there? I felt like my head was going to explode.”

 

Iwaizumi hesitated. He wanted to tell Oikawa about his suspicions. Oikawa was always better at things like this than he was. But…but it was Kageyama. Maybe if it was another person he could tell him and Oikawa could actually consider it to be a possibility. But with Kageyama…

 

“Just a little accident. It’s fine.”

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed and Iwaizumi forced himself to keep his own eyes firm. If he flinched even slightly, if he shifted and looked away, Oikawa would know that something was wrong. That Iwaizumi was keeping something from him. After a moment, Oikawa sighed. “Alright, Iwa-chan. I’ve got to step out for a moment so I’ll leave the clean up to you.”

 

Iwaizumi scowled instantly. “You- wait! Trashykawa! Where do you think you’re going?!”

 

But Oikawa was already gone. Iwaizumi sighed as his teammates began to laugh around him.

 

He really hadn’t expected a response anyway.

 

And there was a good bet that he didn’t really want to know what his soulmate was doing.

 

Iwaizumi spent the next few weeks cataloguing every new bruise and mark on his skin. When something new appeared, he would casually bring it up to Oikawa. Sometimes the other boy would admit to doing something, like tripping over the leg of a chair or walking into the corner of his desk. Other times he protested and said that the bruise was from Iwaizumi.

 

But they weren’t.

 

As the weeks moved on, Iwaizumi became more and more convinced that he and Oikawa were missing something.

 

Some _one_.

 

But he didn’t understand.

 

He had never done much reading on soulmate bonds. He and Oikawa had been together for years, after all. He had never really needed to know. Though he did know that Oikawa had complained to him occasionally about the two of them never reaching the fourth stage of the bond. Fourth stage, the final stage, was being able to feel each other’s emotions. He had never understood how they could be so close and know everything about one another and never hit that stage.

 

But now Iwaizumi knew the reason.

 

He spent time researching polybonds. If two of the soulmates met, they could activate the various stages of the bond. Except the final stage. All members of the bond had to have a close connection before that part of the bond would activate.

 

But that meant Kageyama was well aware of the bond.

 

He had been able to read everything they had been writing for years.

 

And he never said anything.

 

Even if he didn’t know that his soulmates were Iwaizumi and Oikawa, which judging by the odd looks he got during the match he didn’t, he still had two people out there that had no idea he existed. That didn’t seem like something Kageyama would do. He was a little…different…but he never struck Iwaizumi as being cruel.

 

There were a few instances where a person’s bond didn’t activate until they became aware of it themselves. That meant that maybe Kageyama really hadn’t seen anything written on his arms or had mysterious bruises appear and he wouldn’t until he formed a close relationship with Iwaizumi or Oiakwwa. It was rare but Iwaizumi truly hoped that this was the case with Kageyama. However, during the first round of Inter-High, Iwaizumi hit Oikawa in the back of the head in full view of Kageyama Tobio.

 

And the boy flinched and grabbed his own head in response.

 

There went that hope.

 

Kageyama Tobio was their soulmate. And he had never once tried to contact them in any way.

 

Oikawa was going to be _pissed_.


	3. Oikawa and Inter-High

Oikawa was just a little bit excited about the match. Well, maybe more than a little bit. “Calm down,” Iwaizumi finally snapped as they walked into the gym.

 

“We’re going to win,” Oikawa told his soulmate brightly, leaning forward to wrap his arms around the shorter yet much stronger boy.

 

“I know,” Iwaizumi agreed, reaching up to squeeze Oikawa’s hands before gently pulling them away from him. “Come on, let’s warm up and get this started.”

 

Oikawa nodded happily and led the way into the gym. His team followed closely behind him. He glanced to the side and watched Iwaizumi as the boy followed him. He had been acting strange for the past few weeks. He always seemed to have something on his mind, something that he wasn’t sharing with Oikawa. Like what the hell that message was about last night. Who else could it have been for but Oikawa? He figured Iwaizumi was just trying to get his mind off of the upcoming game but… well, he wasn’t sure. However, Oikawa trusted him. He knew that Iwaizumi would share whatever it was when the time was right.

 

At least he seemed to be focusing on the tournament now and not on whatever situation was going on in his head.

 

It was only a few minutes later that Oikawa was shaking hands with Karasuno’s captain, “Let’s play.”

 

He heard girls screaming at him from the stands and Oikawa turned in their direction and winked. The screams grew louder and he couldn’t help but laugh. It truly was amusing how they acted, despite the fact of knowing he would never do anything with them. Well, anything more than a bit of light flirting, anyway. He turned his head to search for his soulmate only to feel his stomach drop as he saw him talking and laughing with Kageyama.

 

_What the hell…_

“Iwa-chan!” Oikawa called instantly, stomping in their direction. Since when were Kageyama and Iwaizumi so buddy buddy?

 

He didn’t like it.

 

Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows and then turned to say something to Kageyama once more. The boy nodded his head and moved away quickly, getting out of earshot before Oikawa was beside them. “What was that, Iwa-chan?” Oikawa demanded, crossing his arms over his chest.

 

“Just a friendly conversation.”

 

“With the enemy?”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “You really are a crappy guy, Oikawa.”

 

“Hey!”

 

Iwaizumi clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, Karasuno is warming up first. Let’s see what coach has to say.”

 

Oikawa blinked in surprise. “Iwa-chan! You didn’t answer me! What were you doing?!”

 

“Focus on the game, Oikawa. Forget about Kageyama.”

 

_Right, like that’s going to happen._

 

Oikawa gave his teammates encouragement as they warmed up before the match. Well…most of his teammates. There was a small incident when Oikawa told Iwaizumi he was working too hard and it wasn’t like any of the girls would be looking at him anyway. He really should have known better – his fan club was always a sore subject with Iwaizumi, even if he knew that Oikawa didn’t treat any of it seriously. Why would he? He already had the perfect soulmate, his best friend. He didn’t need anything else. Kindaichi, his dear underclassman, had moved forward and grabbed Iwaizumi as he moved toward Oikawa in irritation. Oikawa merely laughed. He knew that Iwaizumi would never do anything to hurt him.

 

Not anything permanently, anyway. After all, anything that hurt Oikawa also hurt Iwaizumi.

 

He didn’t think is Iwa-chan was that much of a masochist.

 

The two teams lined up, Iwaizumi smacking Oikawa in the back of the head lightly as they did so in retaliation for his earlier comments. Oikawa’s eyes drifted over his opponents only to come to a stop on a familiar face. Blue eyes glared at him and Oikawa couldn’t help but throw a wink Tobio’s way. “Idiot,” Iwaizumi muttered from his position beside him. Oikawa’s lips twitched.

 

Oikawa moved forward as soon as he was able and stood across the net from a familiar setter. “Tobio-chan,” he started, making the first year turn to him in surprise. “I came here excited to take down the genius setter, so do your best, and hold on,” he taunted with a smirk.

 

Tobio’s expression didn’t change but he did turn to face him fully, “We will win-“

 

“We won’t lose!” Another voice cut in and Oikawa found his sight of Kageyama blocked by bright orange hair.

 

Oikawa couldn’t help but stare at the furious shrimp as Kageyama berated him for cutting in on the conversation. He then turned back to Oikawa, “We won’t lose this time either!”

 

“Eh? I guess we’ll see,” Oikawa taunted, letting his hand rest on his hip in a familiar pose. He then turned on his heel and walked toward Iwaizumi. He had been waiting a long time for this match. For the chance to prove to everyone that he was the better setter between the two of them. The only person that knew just how important this was to him was his best friend. His soulmate.

 

He wanted him beside him.

 

He leaned against Iwaizumi, letting their arms press together. Iwaizumi glanced up at him for a moment and Oikawa knew that he was going to pull away. But something on his face must have stopped the wing spiker from doing so. “You okay?” Iwaizumi asked, voice low as not to be overheard by the rest of their team. He glanced over his shoulder momentarily.

 

“Fine.”

 

Iwaizumi nodded his head slowly. “Alright. Forget about Kageyama, Tooru. Focus on the match.”

 

Oikawa nodded his head but they were both well aware that such a thing wasn’t going to happen. He had a score to settle, after all.

 

A few minutes later and both teams were making their way onto the court, “Okay, let’s do this,” Oikawa said, “Now then, as usual… I believe in all of you.” They all huddled around him and Oikawa smirked, “Let’s go!”

 

First serve was the tall glasses kid that Oikawa had taunted during the practice game. He stared up at the ball as it came toward him. What was the perfect opening move? Something that could make Karasuno weary of him, of his team, something that would irritate Kageyama. He knew he should send it to Iwaizumi to show off their ace’s power.

 

And yet…

 

He jumped. He took out his frustration on the ball, spiking it as hard as he could. He felt his lips twitch when he saw the looks of shock on Karasuno’s faces.

 

Well, he felt better.

 

“Come on, I’ll be doing the same thing again,” he said to the other team, taunting them. “Don’t stand there so out of it. Pay attention.”

 

“Is it time for the mind games already?” Iwaizumi muttered as he made his way back to his position.

 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Iwa-chan.”

 

“Such a crappy guy.”

 

For his own amusement, Oikawa made it obvious that he was going to spike the ball the next play – only to turn it into a set for his ace.

 

He really did love those looks of irritation he always found on his opponents faces.

 

“Hey, that was a little low,” Iwaizumi said as the stands erupted into cheers.

 

“Really? Sorry about that,” Oikawa returned. He was amused at the words. He was fairly certain that the ball had been in the optimum position. But if Iwaizumi said it was low, then it must have been low. Or he was irritated with him about something. Really, it could be either way. “But, Iwa-chan, you usually hit it regardless.”

 

He was still amused at Iwaizumi’s statement as the next play started. And then it happened.

 

“I’ll be doing the same thing again. Pay attention!”

 

And in a flash, most of his amusement was gone. Irritation and anger were the most prominent feelings rushing through his veins as he looked at Kageyama. And yet…there was still a bit of amusement left. He didn’t know Tobio-chan had a sense of humor. “You stupid little brat.”

 

“Oikawa,” Iwaizumi snapped instantly as he moved forward. “Come on.”

 

Oikawa turned his head slowly toward his vice-captain, letting him see the annoyance on his face. Iwaizumi moved closer to him and let their arms brush together. “Take a deep breath. It’s one point. We’ll get it back on the next play.”

 

Oikawa felt his anger subside slightly and then completely vanish as Iwaizumi let their hands brush together lightly. He loved it when Iwaizumi let himself go like this.

 

“Kageyama is serving,” Iwaizumi muttered as his hand moved away completely. He motioned for Oikawa to get into position and Oikawa did so with a scowl on his face. Yes, Tobio was serving. A jump serve. That stupid little-

 

“He sure blew that one out of the park,” Iwaizumi said in amusement as the ball flew completely over their heads and out of the court.

 

Oikawa was giggling, his irritation vanishing completely. For the moment. “What an amazing homerun.”

 

“Hey, I was right. We got the point back.”  


“He practically gave it to us.”

 

Oikawa smirked as the ball was tossed to him. “Oh well, I guess I’ll just have to show you how it’s done.”

 

He took aim at the libero. Two reasons for this. One, if the libero missed than it would help break down the other team. Knowing that their libero couldn’t get his serve…well, it was always the perfect starting break for the opposing team. Second, if he did get it, Oikawa would be able to pick out flaws and strengths in the kid.

 

Either option was helpful to him.

 

He watched closely as the libero moved to intercept his serve, sending it up into the air. “Aw man, he really is amazing!” Oikawa said as he ran forward.

 

“What do you mean, ‘show you how it’s done’?” Iwaizumi snapped in exasperation as he watched the ball. “He received it without a problem!”

 

Poor Iwa-chan. Oikawa just laughed sheepishly, knowing that Iwa-chan wouldn’t be happy with his reasons for aiming at the libero. He always hated it when Oikawa focused on playing mind games during a match.

 

Karasuno took the point with another freak quick. “That god-like toss should be against the rules. Jeez,” Oikawa muttered.

 

“Sorry I keep messing up,” Kindaichi apologized earnestly.

 

Oikawa sent a small smile toward his kohai. “Well, they are the Karasuno that toyed with Date Tech. Let’s just wait a bit,” Oikawa told him. “It shouldn’t be much longer.” He moved to tie his shoe, keeping his face down so no one could see the smirk he was currently sporting. The longer he took to do this, the longer the delay was to start the round. Which meant more time to goad Kindaichi. “More importantly, Kindaichi, I’m sure you’re rather frustrated that the role of Kageyama’s partner was stolen by that little shrimp.”

 

“No, not really-“

 

“It’s fine. Don’t sweat it,” Oikawa continued on as if the first year hadn’t spoken. “Even if Tobio thought of you as a minion that wasn’t very useful in junior high, I, the great Oikawa-san, will prove that you’re amazing, even without using god-like quicks.”

 

He stood and gently prodded Kindaichi forward. “So don’t worry and just jump.”

 

“What the hell did you just do?” Iwaizumi muttered as Oikawa moved past him.

 

“What I needed to,” Oikawa responded, holding back a smirk.

 

He didn’t have to hold it back only a moment later with Kindaichi scored. “So crappy,” Iwaizumi muttered as he moved to serve.

 

Karasuno scored but it was that play that it finally clicked with Oikawa. What he had been waiting for. He quickly motioned for coach to call a time-out and moved toward the side with the rest of the team. From the corner of his eye, he caught the panic that briefly flashed across Kageyama’s features.

 

“I’m pretty sure I’m right about this,” Oikawa started as he glanced around at his team, “It’s ‘bring it’ and ‘to me’. I noticed that shrimp would always yell something when he’d move in on the ball, and I thought it seemed pretty stupid. But when they use that god-like quick attack, it appears they are using ‘bring it’ like ‘bring it here’ or ‘bring it to me’. And with a normal one they’re using ‘to me’. But that shrimps role is to be the decoy. They want us to focus our attention on him. So let’s just set up a simple rule. When we hear ‘bring it’, let’s just have one person mark the shrimp. When we hear ‘to me’, let’s see where the toss goes before we jump. Okay?”

 

“Right!” His teammates yelled out in agreement.

 

“Considering we took a time out this early when nothing’s really happened yet, don’t you think they realized that we’ve realized what they’re doing?” Iwaizumi asked.

 

“That’s completely fine. It’s actually better if they realize it!” Oikawa assured the ace. “If they know that we’ve realized they’re using those signals, it might be minimal, but Tobio will panic.”

 

Iwaizumi let out a sigh, “Of course that would make you happy. Everything else okay?” He asked as the rest of the team broke away.

 

Oikawa frowned, “Why wouldn’t it be, Iwa-chan?”

 

Iwaizumi seemed to hesitate for a moment. “Just making sure.”

 

Oikawa felt his eyes narrow. “You’ve been acting strange for weeks, Iwa-chan. But this isn’t the time for me to find out why. Just know that it is coming.”

 

Iwaizumi’s eyes rolled to the back of his head. “Right, well, thanks for the warning.”

 

“Just giving you a fair shot. We both know you wouldn’t stand a chance otherwise.”

 

“Shittykawa,” Iwaizumi muttered as the two made their way back onto the court.

 

The game continued and Oikawa could tell that the pressure was getting to Kageyama. He was speeding up Karasuno’s plays, making it harder for his teammates to keep up. Causing them to make more mistakes that Aoba Johsai could use. In his desperation, Kageyama tried to do a setter dump. However, he made the play too obvious and it was easily blocked. “There’s nothing easier to stop than a dump when you’re panicked,” Oikawa taunted and he had the pleasure of seeing Kageyama’s panic increase.

 

It was truly amusing.

 

They continued to apply pressure to both Kageyama and that bald spiker. Eventually, one of them was going to break. And then something unexpected happened.

 

The ball was falling, it just needed a push. Oikawa jumped on his side. Kageyama jumped on his. The two pushed the ball on either side. And then it was falling.

 

On Kageyama’s side.

 

Oikawa watched in pleasure as the ball fell. And so did Kageyama. The boy landed hard on his feet but they slipped out from under him and he fell backwards, landing hard on his back. And Oikawa winced.

 

Not in sympathy.

 

No.

 

Because he had _felt_ that.

 

His mouth dropped open and he stared down at Kageyama in complete shock. This…this couldn’t…something was wrong. This couldn’t possibly be-

 

The bruises that he and Iwaizumi always questioned.

 

How his knee was irritated much more than his doctor expected. If he had two people putting pressure and not just one…

 

The pain in his head during the practice match.

 

The hesitant look Iwaizumi had when Oikawa questioned him about it.

 

The weird questions his soulmate had been asking him for the past few weeks.

 

Oh, he was going to have a _talk_ with Iwaizumi when this was all over.

 

And then he was going to figure out why the hell the universe had thought it was a good idea to pair him with Kageyama Tobio.

 

 

 


	4. Iwaizumi and a Phone Call

Iwaizumi probably shouldn’t have done it.

 

He had returned home the night after the first day of Inter-high and was feeling a mixture of irritation and anticipation. Oikawa was excited for the chance to play Karasuno the next day and that excitement had transferred over to Iwaizumi. But there was also the irritation that he had been carrying with him most of the day. Of knowing that Kageyama was fully aware of the bond and had done nothing about it.

 

So, it was because of that irritation that he decided to do it.

 

**Good luck tomorrow.**

 

He stared down at his arm, at the words he had written, and waited to see if anything appeared. If, just maybe, Kageyama did respond in ways that he had never noticed before.

 

But there was nothing.

 

Well, nothing except the girly handwriting that usually responded to him.

 

_Eh? We don’t need luck!_

**Who said I was talking to you?**

_EH?!!!!_

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and flopped down on his bed. His wasn’t surprised when his phone began ringing just a moment later. “It was a joke,” he said as he answered.

 

“You’re so mean, Iwa-chan! You know I’m focusing on winning against Karasuno tonight!”  


With an annoyed groan, Iwaizumi sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Trashykawa, you better not stay up all night and blow the games for us tomorrow.”

 

A loud squawk was his answer. “Sleep idiot!” Iwaizumi muttered as he snapped his phone closed. His eyes traveled to his arm once more.

 

Nothing.

 

He kept a close eye on Kageyama the next day during the match. Well, as close as he could, anyway. He spoke to him before the match, trying to see if Kageyama showed any signs what so ever of knowing that they were soulmates. But, besides the obvious irritation at Oikawa and his usual awkwardness, Iwaizumi didn’t notice anything.

 

It was halfway through the game with Karasuno that Iwaizumi noticed something wrong with Oikawa. He was quieter than he had ever been during a match, especially a match where he was playing against one of the people on his ‘list’. But Iwaizumi noticed the way his eyes kept straying to Kageyama. Saw the way his eyes narrowed in thought even when Kageyama shouldn’t have been his focus.

 

And he knew that he wasn’t the only person that had noticed.

 

They ended up winning against Karasuno and moved on to another match. Iwaizumi kept a close eye on Oikawa but the other boy seemed to shred his earlier weirdness. Iwaizumi thought he was wrong. Maybe Oikawa hadn’t noticed. Or, if he had, had decided to ignore it.

 

Because that’s what he was good at.

 

Ignoring things that didn’t fit into the world he created for himself.

 

They won the next game as well and the boys were subdued as they headed home that night. The next day, they would be playing against Shiratorizawa. Oikawa would be facing Ushijima.

 

Iwaizumi knew the next few days were going to be long. If they won, Oikawa was going to be on top of the world and annoying as hell. If they lost, he was going to spend the next few days cooped up in his room and Iwaizumi would be stuck beside him, trying to convince him that there was nothing else he could have done.

 

Thinking about the mess Oikawa would be if they lost to Shiratorizawa led him to think about Kageyama. Kunimi and Kindaichi had been oddly subdued for a pair that won against who they considered their greatest rival. Iwaizumi figured he knew why. Even if there was a distance between the boys now, they had been friends. And both Kindaichi and Kunimi knew how important volleyball was to Kageyama. Losing to the two boys had to have brought up memories for him. For all of them.

 

He frowned as his hands suddenly began to ache. And then sharp pain shot through them. He gasped as the pain faded and looked toward his palms. Four half moon marks were embedded in his palms. Dark bruises. Cuts on the person that caused them. Cuts on his hands in the shape of his nails. Considering Kageyama was a setter and probably as obsessed with his hands and nails as Oikawa, Iwaizumi felt concern well up in his chest. What would have possibly caused the other boy to do something like that? Was it because of the match that morning? He quickly grabbed a pen that he kept beside the bed and began to write once again.

 

**What did you do**

_It wasn’t me! I need my hands! We have a game tomorrow!_

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. Idiot. Of course it wasn’t Oikawa. How was this idiot at the top of the class?

**I know that. Dumbass**

_Then why are you blaming me?!_

_Wait._

_You aren’t blaming me._

_~~You think that~~ _ ~~~~

_~~Is he~~ _

_~~He is isn’t~~ _

_~~CAN HE READ~~ _

_I’M CALLING YOU_ ~~~~

The phone rang only seconds after the words appeared on his skin and Iwaizumi flipped it open. “IWA-CHAN! YOU KNEW?!”

 

Iwaizumi growled and pulled the phone away from his ear. “Dumbass! Too loud! And I didn’t know, I suspected!”

 

“You didn’t tell me!”

 

“Because I knew you’d be like this!”

 

“Of course I’m like this! It’s Tobio-chan!”

 

Iwaizumi let out a growl yet again and rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, I know. Seriously, Shittykawa, he isn’t that bad.”

 

“Iwa-chan! He isn’t- are you serious?! Of course he is! He’s…he’s Tobio-chan! Irritating and obsessed with milk and volleyball and…and look at how he treated Sleepy-chan! And the one that follows you all over the place-“

 

“Kindaichi. You know his name, Crappykawa.”

 

“-and you can’t just act like it isn’t a big deal!”

 

“I didn’t say it wasn’t a big deal! Of course it’s a big deal that we have another soulmate,” a loud moan came through the phone, “but I’m not the one freaking out because that soulmate is Kageyama.”

 

“DON’T SAY HIS NAME!”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “He isn’t the devil, Trashykawa! He isn’t going to appear because I said his name!”

 

“Stop calling me that!”

 

“Look, we’ll talk about this in the morning, alright? Don’t forget we have a game tomorrow.”

 

“Like I could forget that! Fine, we’ll talk about it tomorrow. _After_ the game!”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Fine.”


	5. Tsukishima is Not Part of This.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tsukishima would really rather not be a part of any of this. But he somehow finds himself getting pulled in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning! Panic Attack in this chapter!

Tsukishima wasn’t really sure why he had continued to play volleyball in high school. Maybe it was some sort of twisted way to hold onto a time when he truly cared about the game. When he had felt like it was something that connected him with his brother. Maybe it was because Yamaguchi was interested and the other boy had only joined in the first place because of him. Maybe it was just because it was familiar.

 

He wasn’t sure.

 

He would admit to being a bit disappointed after they lost to Aoba Johsai during Inter-High. A bit. But the way the rest of the team was acting…you would think that someone had died. He saw all of them moping around in the hallways during breaks. He had walked by Kageyama’s class and seen the boy, who really should be paying attention with his grades being the way they were, had his head down on his desk. Tsukishima felt a flicker of irritation. The other first year better not come to him and ask for help studying again.

 

Despite the fact that they had the day off from practice, Yamaguchi caught him before he was able to leave and pulled him toward the gym. Tsukishima just sighed in response. No doubt the rest of the idiots would be there as well, and, well, he would like to know if the third years decided to stay on the team or not. He was a bit hesitant to think of what the team would be like without them. How would Tanaka and Nishinoya act if Daichi wasn’t around to reel them in? How would Kageyama and Hinata settle their differences without Sugawara? And Asahi…

 

…well, Tsukishima just liked the fact that with the gentle ace around, Hinata didn’t have a chance of moving forward into the position.

 

So he allowed himself to be pulled into the gym. He glanced around the room and felt trepidation begin to creep up on him when he didn’t see the third years. The rest of the team looked around at one another, none of them really wanting to voice the question.

 

And then the three third years as well as their team manager appeared and relief flooded Tsukishima’s entire body. They were staying.

 

He blamed that relief for his momentary lapse. He followed Yamaguchi and the rest of the team as they walked down the street, heading toward Ukai’s store for the meat buns Daichi promised to buy them. He supposed it wasn’t too bad. He had his headphones placed over his ears and was able to block out his loud teammates. Hinata was talking loudly to Yamaguchi and Tsukishima felt a small amount of guilt at leaving his friend to fend for himself but Yamaguchi didn’t seem to mind. He actually seemed to be enjoying the conversation. Nishinoya and Tanaka were loud enough to be heard over his music, though he was grateful that he couldn’t actually decipher the words that were being said.

 

Daichi came out of Ukai’s with a bag of pork buns and Tsukishima paused his music to thank the third year. He had just taken his first bite when he heard the words. “Kageyama-kun? I didn’t know you knew your soulmate?” The words were said softly but Tsukishima was close enough to hear them. His eyes widened in surprised and he glanced down at the other first year boys’ arms. There was writing there. Actually, if Tsukishima wasn’t mistaken, that was the handwriting of two different people. And it wasn’t Kageyama’s. Tsukishima had seen Kageyama’s writing enough in the past to know that was certain.

 

Tsukishima reacted on instinct when Kageyama began to choke on the pork bun he had shoved in his mouth. Tsukishima pounded Kageyama on the back, hoping that would dislodged the food and he wouldn’t have to do anything else. Tsukishima snapped at Hinata to shut up when the small redhead began to jump around in a panic. “Sorry,” Suga said a bit sheepishly. “I should have brought that up a different way.”

 

Once the King was finally able to breath, Tsukishima dropped his hand and watched the other boy closely. He saw Kageyama’s eyes dart down to his arms. Saw that he seemed to suck in a deep breath and stared at his arm as if he was in shock to seem the words written there.

 

“Kageyama-kun?! You know your soulmate?! Why didn’t you tell me?” Hinata demanded as he jumped up and down. Kageyama stared at him. Or through him. Tsukishima’s brows furrowed. He wasn’t exactly sure that Kageyama was actually able to see the redhead right at this moment.

 

What was going on? Why would he react like this to everyone knowing he has a soulmate? Or, well, soulmates? Maybe he didn’t know? Wasn’t it a possibility that two soulmates can forge a bond without the other soulmates? Could this be the first time Kageyama was seeing the writing appear on his skin?

  
“The king actually has a soulmate?” Tsukishima snarked, hoping to break the King out of whatever daze he seemed to be in.

 

“Ooh, is she hot?” Tanaka demanded and Tsukishima had to roll his eyes.

 

“Is she taller than me?” That was Nishinoya. Tsukishima had to scowl at the irrelevant question.

 

“Guys! Give him some space!” Daichi demanded loudly as he stepped in front of Kageyama and blocked him from the two most irritating of Tsukishima’s teammates.

 

Well, one pair of them.

 

“Kageyama? Are you okay?” Suga’s voice floated toward Tsukishima and he turned to look at the two curiously, wondering why Sugawara seemed to be so worried. He looked over just in time to see the third year place his hand on Kageyama’s shoulder and the dark-haired boy flinched away.

 

Tsukishima’s eyes narrowed as Kageyama stumbled away from them, clutching at his chest and gasping for air. Hinata yelled the other boys name loudly. Nishinoya and Tanaka both started toward him but were held back by a wide eyed Ennoshita. Yamaguchi had walked up beside him and clutched his sleeve. Daichi was taking hesitant steps forward.

 

And then Kageyama’s legs gave out. He crashed down onto the pavement, still struggling to breath. “Kageyama!”

 

It was the gasped voice beside him that broke Tsukishima out of his trance. He moved forward, stepping in front of his captain and kneeling down in front of the other first year. He knew what this was. He had had personal experience with this.

 

It was a panic attack.

 

“King? Can you hear me?” Tsukishima asked, making sure to keep his voice measured. Kageyama flinched away from him. A loud ringing interrupted the yelling his teammates were still doing. Tsukishima’s eyes locked onto the phone beside Kageyama. He grabbed it quickly and tossed it toward Sugawara. “Answer it.”

 

The third year blinked at him but realization seemed to dawn a moment later. He quickly flipped the phone open and placed it to his ear. “This is Sugawara. Kageyama-kun is-“

 

“What the hell is happening?!” A voice gasped out on the other side of the line, loud enough for Tsukishima to hear.

 

He ignored it. Best to let Sugawara deal with any potential issues on that front. At least it answered one of his questions.

 

Kageyama definitely knew who his soulmate was.

 

“Tsukki-“

 

“Shut up,” Tsukishima said quickly, focusing in on the still struggling Kageyama. “Kageyama, hey, look at me.” Kageyama’s eyes flew open and locked onto his. Tsukishima nodded slowly. Good. That was good. “Look at me. Breathe with me. Come on.” He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, making sure to keep his eyes fixed on Kageyama’s. The other boy slowly began to mimic his breathing.

 

“I think he’s getting better. Yes. Yes. I’m not sure.” Tsukishima continued to breath deeply as he listened to half of the conversation.

 

“Are you okay?!” Hinata yelled out, running toward Kageyama. Tsukishima grabbed him before he could get there. He pushed the smaller boy back and he didn’t even feel remorse when he tripped over his own feet and fell onto the sidewalk. He received various yells of indignation but he knew that Kageyama would have most likely been sent into another attack if he had been touched yet again.

 

“Don’t touch him!” Tsukishima ordered, hoping that everyone would take the words to heart.

 

“…yeah, he’s fine. Do you want to- oh, alright. Yeah, I’ll tell him. Okay.” Tsukishima looked back toward Sugawara once more as he snapped Kageyama’s phone closed. He looked around the group in astonishment before looking at Kageyama. “Iwaizumi-san would like you to call him tonight,” the third year said a bit helplessly as he handed the phone back.

 

Which Kageyama promptly dropped.

 

“Iwaizumi-san? Like Seijoh’s ace?” A certain idiotic first year gasped. He looked at Kageyama in accusation. “Why would Seijoh’s ace be calling you?!”

 

There was a rasping gasp yet again and Tsukishima’s head snapped around to look at the blue-eyed boy. “Breathe!”

 

Daichi moved to kneel beside Tsukishima. “I think we should get you home,” he said seriously. He glanced at the other members of the team, as if asking them what he should do before pulling his phone out of his pocket. “Can you walk or do we need to call someone?”

 

“No one to call,” Kageyama responded tiredly. Tsukishima felt pieces click into place instantly at the words. Things he had noticed over the past few months suddenly made sense.

 

He didn’t like the picture that had formed.

 

“Well, we can-“

 

“I’ll help!” Hinata yelled loudly. He was back on his feet and moving toward Kageyama before Tsukishima even registered he moved. “Uh,” his eyes flickered from Kageyama to Tsukishima. “Can I- I mean, is it okay if I…”

 

Tsukishima slowly got to his own feet. “Can you stand?” he questioned Kageyama. If Kageyama was flinching away from people near him, he wasn’t going to give someone permission to touch him.

 

That would be up to Kageyama.

 

Tsukishima felt a bit of relief as the King slowly reached out and gripped Hinata’s hand, allowing the smaller boy to help him to his feet. “Okay! Let’s go!”

 

“Do you need us to-“ Sugawara started in concern, always the mother of the group. But Kageyama shook his head. “Alright,” Suga agreed though he didn’t sound happy about it. “Make sure you contact Iwaizumi-san when you get home. He said something about you not answering his messages.” Tsukishima cursed in his head as Kageyama flinched at the words. Damnit, he wasn’t going to help the idiot again if these people sent him into another attack.

 

Tsukishima watched as Hinata and Kageyama slowly moved off down the street. They weren’t even out of earshot before the team began to yell out questions.

 

“What was that?”

 

“Is he okay?”

 

“Did it have something to do with his soulmate?”

 

“All of you stop!” Daichi snapped. Tsukishima just crossed his arms and scowled at the other boys. Why did they think he had all the answers? He had no idea what was going on in the Kings head.

 

…well, he didn’t know for sure.

 

“Seijoh’s ace knew that Kageyama was in trouble,” Yamaguchi muttered from Tsukishima’s side. “Does…does that mean that he and Kageyama are soulmates?”

 

The words, though spoken softly and to Tsukishima, rang throughout the sudden silence. And then the boys erupted.

 

“No!”

 

“Why could you think-“

 

“Isn’t the ace soulmates with that pretty boy?!”  


“Is it a polybond?”

 

“All of you shut up!” Daichi snapped once more. “Leave it! If Kageyama want’s us to know, or if he wants our help, he’ll tell us. Until then, all of you leave him alone. Got it?”

 

Tsukishima pulled his headphones back up over his ears. He wasn’t a part of this in any way. And he didn’t want to be.


	6. Hinata and the...Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hinata had never been so scared as when he saw his best friend on the ground, panting for breath. Even hitting Kageyama with the volleyball hadn't been that scary.

It was the scariest thing Hinata had ever seen. Even scarier than when he hit Kageyama in the back of his head with the volleyball during their practice match with Aoba Johsai. Even scarier than Inter-High. Seeing his best friend collapse onto the ground, struggling to breathe, had made something in Hinata’s heart pound. He jumped around in a panic, unsure of what to do. It was an even bigger shock to his system with _Tsukishima_ of all people stepped up and helped Kageyama.

 

Hinata should have been upset that the other first year pushed him away when he attempted to go to his friend. But he had seen the way Kageyama flinched away from him. He didn’t want to do anything to cause something like…like whatever it was that just happened…again. And then he heard Suga saying something on the phone. Hinata frowned at him in confusion. When did he get on the phone? Why was he on the phone when Kageyama was dying in front of them?! Wait – was he calling the police?! Were they going to send an ambulance?!

 

“Iwaizumi-san would like you to call him tonight,” Suga said after he snapped the phone closed and pressed it into Kageyama’s hand.

 

Kageyama’s eyes flew open wide and the phone clattered onto the concrete. Hinata winced at the sound but the words slowly turned over in his mind until… “Iwaizumi-san? Like Seijoh’s ace?” He asked in surprise as he turned toward his friend. “Why would Seijoh’s ace be calling you?!”

 

Kageyama sucked in a quick breath and Hinata felt his heart pound against his chest yet again. “Breathe!” Tsukishima snapped.

 

“I think we should get you home,” Daichi said as he went to kneel in front of Kageyama. Hinata watched the other first year warily. What if he…started again with their captain being so close? Shouldn’t Daichi move back? He looked at Tsukishima quickly, hoping that the blond would pull their captain away if needed. But he didn’t do anything. Which meant that Kageyama was alright…right? “Can you walk or do we need to call someone?”

 

“No one to call,” Tobio rasped. Hinata’s brows furrowed. He knew the other boy lived with his mother…was she busy with work or something? He couldn’t imagine not being able to call his mom if he needed her.

 

“Well, we can-“

 

“I’ll help!” Hinata said quickly. He jumped to his feet and jogged the few remaining steps toward his friend. He reached out to help him up but froze when he remembered the earlier reaction. “Uh,” he looked at Kageyama and then Tsukishima. “Can I- I mean, is it okay if I…”

 

Tsukishima met Hinata’s eyes and slowly stood. He then looked toward Kageyama. “Can you stand?”

 

Hinata bit his lip and slowly extended his hand toward Kageyama. If the other boy wanted his help, he could have it. If he didn’t, well, then he could stand up on himself. But Kageyama placed his hand into Hinata’s and the smaller boy took a step back and tried to help the other boy stand. Kageyama did, losing his balance, and Hinata had to take a step back to stop them both from ending up on the ground. “Okay! Let’s go!” Hinata said quickly, wanting to get Kageyama home before something else happened that he didn’t know how to handle.

 

Suga said something to Kageyama but Hinata was bouncing on toes and looking down the street. He would feel a lot better if they could just go and get Kageyama home. He got his wish and the two of them started walking down the street. He heard the team begin talking about what had just happened and he walked faster in hopes that Kageyama would be unfocused enough at the moment to not hear anything.

 

The two walked in silence. Hinata couldn’t stop himself from glancing at Kageyama every few seconds. He was…worried about the first-year setter. He hoped that they were close to the other boys’ home. He really looked like he needed sleep. Hinata was worried that he was going to fall over and then he wouldn’t be able to get him off the street. After all, the other boy was…taller than him. And weighed more. Not to mention that Hinata wasn’t sure where to take him even if he did find a way to carry him.

 

After Kageyama stumbled for what was the fifth or sixth time, Hinata finally questioned, “Are we almost there?”

 

Kageyama nodded his head and he led Hinata to a house just down the street. Hinata sighed in relief when they finally stepped through the door. At least if Kageyama passed out now he would be able to pull him onto the couch or something. “I don’t think you should be alone, Kageyama-kun,” Hinata finally said when Kageyama looked at him in surprise. He was sure the other boy hadn’t even noticed that he had entered the home behind him. “Where’s your mom?”

 

“Not here,” Kageyama said in response.

 

“Oh.” Hinata frowned. He didn’t think it was a good idea to leave Kageyama alone right now. What if that thing happened again? At least Hinata would be here to call Tsukishima so he would know what to do. If the blond picked up his phone, anyway. “Well, I’m going to call my mom and tell her I’m staying here tonight.”

 

“Don’t invite yourself, dumbass!” Kageyama sputtered and Hinata couldn’t help but give him a familiar cheeky grin as he pulled his phone out of his pocket.

 

“You look like you’re going to fall over,” Hinata said as he dialed his mother’s number and placed the phone to his ear. “Shouldn’t you sleep or something?” Kageyama seemed to hesitate for a moment but he nodded sharply and shuffled down the hallway.

 

“Shouyou? Is everything alright?”

 

“I’m going to stay with Kageyama-kun tonight, mom,” Hinata said quickly. “He’s sick…I think…and his mom isn’t home and I don’t want to leave him by himself so-“

 

“Is your homework done?”

 

Hinata winced. “Most of it?”

 

She sighed. “Well, just make sure you work on it. Take care of Kageyama-kun, alright?”

 

Hinata relaxed and smiled. “Thanks mom.”

 

“Call me in the morning.”

 

Hinata promised that he would do so and quickly hung up. He then looked around his best friends’ home. It was very…cold. There weren’t any pictures for him to look at. There wasn’t a TV for him to watch. The furniture looked so pristine that he was actually afraid to sit on it in fear that he would mess it up. So, he pulled out his homework and placed it on the kitchen table and pulled out a chair before perching on it carefully. He couldn’t do anything to hurt that, right?

 

He wasn’t sure how long he had been working on his math homework, well, working wasn’t the exact right word. Staring at the problem in complete confusion was better. Anyway, he was interrupted with the doorbell  rang. Hinata bit his lip and looked down the hall but Kageyama didn’t appear. Afraid that the person would ring the bell again and wake him up, Hinata jumped to his feet and quickly ran to pull the door open. “Sorry, Kageyama-kun is-“ he broke off and squawked loudly at the sight before him. “G-G-Great King! Seijoh’s Ace! You…are here. Why are you here?”

 

They didn’t answer. Instead, Oikawa pushed past him and yelled, “Tobio-chan! Where are you?!”

 

Hinata’s mouth dropped in surprise as the ace from Sejoh followed after Oikawa, not sparing Hinata a glance. Hinata yelled out and ran after the two but they were already standing in Kageyama’s doorway. Oikawa was laughing loudly and Hinata ducked down under his arm to see what was so funny. Kageyama was lying on the floor, his feet tangled in sheets that were probably from his bed. Hianta gasped and managed to get around the two older boys and move toward his friend. “Kageyama-kun? Are you okay?” He reached down to help Kageyama to his feet but once again remembered the wince from earlier that night. “Uh…is it okay to touch you? I mean, I don’t want you to…and Tsukishima said…”

 

“I’m fine,” Kageyama hissed, a blush spreading across his cheeks. Hinata frowned as the other first year managed to untangle himself from the sheets and push himself to his feet. He let his hand drop to his side.

 

“Can you leave us alone, Chibi-chan?” Oikawa asked and Hinata felt his hackles rise at the name.

 

“I don’t think this is a good time-“

 

“It really wasn’t a question,” Oikawa cut in. Hinata jumped back at the sudden sharp smile and flashing eyes. Unfortunately, he jumped right into Kageyama and he felt the other boy flinch.

 

He yelped loudly and moved as fast as he could to put distance between the two of them. “Sorry! Sorry! Kageyama-kun, are you-“

 

“Fine,” Kageyama snapped in response but Hinata could see the way his breath quickened. He felt a flash of guilt. He should have been more careful. “I’ll talk to them, Hinata.”

 

Hinata frowned. He didn’t want to leave. He was worried about Kageyama and the other first year was never in a good mood when he had to deal with the Great King. He let his eyes travel over Kageyama, then Oikawa, and finally Iwaizumi. He didn’t think Oikawa would do anything to upset Kageyama if Iwaizumi was there. He sighed in resignation. “I’ll just be in the kitchen,” he said warningly. “We need dinner, after all! Call me if you…” he broke off quickly. He didn’t know if Kageyama wanted these two to know what had happened earlier that night.

 

By the way Kageyama was shifting uncomfortably, probably not. “Uh, I don’t know if there is anything in the kitchen-“

 

“I’m sure there’s something,” Hinata said quickly. He didn’t want to be a burden after all. He moved slowly and edged around the Great King. He wouldn’t put it past the other boy to suddenly snap. “I’m not picky.” He made it into the hall and hurried into the kitchen where he began to search the cabinets.

 

The empty cabinets.

 

A sinking feeling began to expand in Hinata’s chest the more he stayed in this house.

 

He didn’t like it.

 

He sighed once more when he opened the refrigerator and only saw a jug of milk. It shouldn’t surprise him that that would be the one thing Kageyama kept in the house. But…if this was it, what was he eating? What was his mother eating? A flash of how happy and appreciative Kageyama was each time Daichi bought them meat buns popped into Hinata’s mind and the sinking feeling began to grow worse.

 

After searching for a few more minutes, Hinata gave up. He was _starving_ and there wasn’t any food in this house. He would have to go get something. But…well, he didn’t have any money on him. It seemed rude to ask Kageyama for money after he had invited himself over. But…the other first year needed to eat too, right?

 

He cautiously made his way down the hall and paused in front of Kageyama’s closed door. He didn’t hear anything. There was no yelling. Hell, he couldn’t hear any talking at all. He really hoped they hadn’t killed each other when he was in the kitchen. If he walked into a bloody mess and had to call the police, would they think he was a suspect? Would he end up in jail? Hinata slowly raised a hand and knocked on the door.

 

No one answered.

 

He took a deep breath and prepared himself for the worst. Then he pushed the door open and stuck his head inside.

 

The three boys were all sitting on Kageyama’s bed, closer than Hinata would have thought Kageyama comfortable with. He raised his eyebrows. Maybe he should have been worried about something else happening in the house while he was here.

 

“Uh, sorry. But you don’t have any food and I know you have to be hungry. And I am too. And I don’t know if the two of you have eaten anything or if you were planning on eating anything. And Kageyama-kun, your mom still isn’t home so- “

 

“She won’t be,” Kageyama cut in and Hinata snapped his mouth closed. “She doesn’t live here. I haven’t had time to go shopping,” he muttered with a cringe. Hinata stared at him as all of his previous suspicions came to a realization. Kageyama pulled himself off of the bed. “I think there is some money on the table,” he muttered as he walked toward Hinata, “we can order something- “

 

“Wait!” Hinata said loudly as all the pieces clicked into place. “Your mom doesn’t – but I thought you said you didn’t know your dad!”

 

Kageyama’s brows furrowed. “I don’t.”  


“But who do you live with?” Hinata demanded. Surely he would have known if his best friend lived alone. Right?

 

“No one! Now do you want food or not?!”

 

“Go order some food, Chibi-chan,” Oikawa said as Hinata scrambled for something to say. He turned to the third year but Oikawa’s eyes were firmly fixed on Kageyama. “Iwa-chan and I will pay.” Hinata hesitated and shifted his eyes to the other third year. Iwaizumi just nodded his head in agreement with the words. Hinata let out a loud sigh. It was one thing if he didn’t realize what was happening with Kageyama. Yes, he considered the dark haired setter to be his closest friend but they had only known each other a few months. And it wasn’t as if Kageyama liked to talk about himself.

 

The fact that Iwaizumi and Oikawa were as surprised as he was was a completely different matter.

  
Because Hinata knew what it meant that Iwaizumi had called Kageyama during his…episode earler.

 

And he remembered what Kageyama had told the team that day they were watching Aoba Johsai during  Inter-High.

 

Iwaizumi and Oikawa were soulmates.

 

Kageyama and Iwaizumi were soulmates.

 

So, the three of them were soulmates.

 

And both of the third years had no idea of anything that was happening in Kageyama’s life.

 

The thought infuriated Hinata. He turned on his heel and walked out of the room, making sure to slam the door behind him.

 

He had a very _expensive_ meal to order.


	7. Oikawa and Ignoring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa had his suspicions but he was going to push them aside. It wasn't his mess to deal with.
> 
> Note: Panic attacks in this chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I hope you enjoy this new one-shot! Just a note, there are more panic attacks in this chapter! 
> 
> Trigger Warning!

Th first time, Oikawa had no idea what was happening. He had been up most of the night after his phone call with Iwaizumi and his mind kept straying to a certain dark haired, blue eyed setter. He kept staring at his palms, at the moon shaped bruises sitting there. Bruises that were most likely actual cuts on someone else’s palms, cuts caused by a person’s finger nails digging into their own skin. He wondered what had caused it. To- _that person_ was not one to do anything to harm himself if it would affect his volleyball in any way, so why would he allow this to happen?

 

 Still, he had pulled himself out of bed and forced himself to prepare for the day. After all, he couldn’t be distracted. Not now. Not when he finally had the chance to win against Ushijima.

 

There was time to think about this mess later.

 

But then it happened.

 

He had just stepped out of his room when it hit.

 

He…his stomach was churning. He started to sweat. He felt clammy. And he couldn’t breathe.

 

He fell to his knees in astonishment as he began to gasp. He forced air into his lungs and frantically tried to figure out what was going on. With a shaking hand, he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and pressed the first number in his address book.

 

“Wh-“

 

“Iwa-chan,” Oikawa gasped. He heard the same sound coming through the phone. “You okay?” He rasped as he struggled.

 

“Not…me…” Iwaizumi managed to get out, his voice rough. Oikawa closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall at those words. He knew what that meant. But…he didn’t have _time_ for this right now!

 

The two boys stayed on the phone as they struggled until it came to an abrupt stop. Oikawa sucked in a mouthful of air and heard Iwaizumi doing the same thing on the other side of the line. Iwaizumi began to cough loudly and Oikawa let out a weak chuckle. “Careful, Iwa-chan.”

 

“Shut up,” Iwaizumi snapped, his voice still coarse. “I’ll meet you at the school.”

 

“You’re going to call him, aren’t you?” Oikawa muttered as he pushed himself to his feet. He already knew the answer. Iwaizumi had tried to get in touch with… _him_ most of the night. Hell, he was so panicked about not getting a response that Oikawa had messaged him. But neither had received a response.

 

And now this happened.

 

He guessed he could understand why Iwaizumi was concerned.

 

The second time it happened had been later that night. Oikawa had already been having a very bad day. An extremely bad day. First was that…thing this morning. Then he got into an argument before the match with Iwaizumi. His soulmate was upset that Oikawa hadn’t made more of an effort to contact the person that caused all the trouble in the first place. And then they lost to Shiratorizawa.

 

It was a bad day.

 

And then it got worse.

 

He and Iwaizumi were in Oikawa’s room. Neither were saying a word to the other, both too consumed in their own thoughts. Oikawa was spread out on the bed with an icepack on his knee. Iwaizumi was on the floor, his back against the bed. He was looking at something on his phone.

 

And then they felt it again.

 

“Iwa-chan-“ Oikawa gasped and Iwaizumi reached out instantly, wrapping his hand around Oikawa’s and holding it tightly as they both struggled to get words out. Oikawa could only watch as Iwaizumi fumbled with his phone before pressing it to his ear. Oikawa could barely hear the person on the other line but he focused to try and hear the words.

 

“This is Sugawara. Kageyama-kun is-“

 

“What the hell is happening?!” Iwaizumi gasped out as his hand tightened around Oikawa’s.

 

“What do you-“

 

“Can’t breathe,” Iwaizumi gasped out. “Kageyama-“

 

“Oh! He’s…I think it’s a panic attack. This is Iwaizumi-san, correct? From Seijoh? We’re with Kageyama-kun and Tsukishima-kun is helping him. Just try to steady your breathing.”

 

Oikawa wanted to rip the phone from Iwaizumi and snarl at the person that they were _trying_ but before he got the chance he began to feel the pressure in his chest lightening and it suddenly because easier to get air into his lungs. “Is he okay?” Iwaizumi asked.

 

“…yeah, he’s fine. Do you want to-“

 

“No,” Iwaizumi growled. “Just tell him to call me and I don’t appreciate his ignoring my messages.”

“oh, alright. Yeah, I’ll tell him.”

 

“Fine.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Iwaizumi didn’t bother to say another word as he snapped his phone shut. Oikawa weakly pulled on his hand and Iwaizumi crawled up onto the bed. Oikawa turned onto his side, dislodging the icepack, and let Iwaizumi settle behind him. His strong arm wrapped around Oikawa’s waist and pulled him back against his body. Oikawa let out a shaky sigh as his back pressed against Iwaizumi’s chest. “What _is_ that?” Oikawa whined.

 

“I don’t know,” Iwaizumi responded, his arm tightening. “But it’s ridiculous. He can’t keep ignoring us.”

 

Oikawa didn’t respond. He didn’t want to mention the fact that he was perfectly fine with _that person_ ignoring them. He would much rather go back to the time when he had no idea he had another soulmate. He was perfectly happy with Iwaizumi. He didn’t need, or want, anyone else. And he wasn’t particularly good at sharing. Especially if he had to share his soulmate and best friend. Especially if he had to share with _him_.

 

He had years of resentment built up against _him_ already. He knew, knew, that he would one day replace him. Volleyball was the one thing that Oikawa truly cared about besides Iwaizumi and his family.

 

And _he_ was going to take two of those things away from him.

 

“What are you thinking?” Iwaizumi asked after a few more minutes, his chest rumbling against Oikawa’s back. Oikawa pushed back further into the other boy. He didn’t want to answer. “Tooru?”

 

Oikawa closed his eyes tightly to fight against the sudden burn. That wasn’t _fair_. “I don’t like it.”

 

The arm slacked for just a moment and Oikawa wished he hadn’t said anything. But Iwaizumi just sighed. “I know. But…Tooru, you can’t just ignore it. This happened for a reason. He’s our soulmate.”

 

Oikawa swallowed hard. “I know.”

 

“And something is going on with him. He might need us, Tooru.”

 

“I _know_.”

 

“We’re going to go see him,” Iwaizumi said firmly, his arm disappearing completely as he sat up. Oikawa’s jaw clenched. “You remember where he lives? You walked him home a few times during junior high, right?”

 

Oikawa scowled at the reminder. Yes, he had. A few different times, actually. Because he was the captain and expected to help people on his team when they were sick. They had never been able to contact his mother when something was wrong and coach would have been furious if he left him to his own devices. “Yes.”

 

“Then let’s go.”

 

So they did. And, just to make Oikawa’s day even better, it was confirmed that Kageyama Tobio was their soulmate and Iwaizumi had decided they were all going to be one big happy…whatever. But Oikawa wasn’t. He didn’t want to. He wanted to forget that any of this had even happened. But he played nice in front of Kageyama and his irritating, redheaded friend, just like Iwaizumi wanted. He took in the information that Kageyama apparently lived alone – and didn’t feed himself well. He realized the gasping breathing they were going through was because Kageyama apparently now had panic attacks that they were able to feel. And that the _panic attacks_ were most likely directed to his home life. But he didn’t mention it. Didn’t want to look any further into it than that. And then they were ready to leave and he found out that Kageyama had actually _deleted his number._

 

His number was deleted. By Kageyama.

 

Why did that make him so angry?

 

He made up his mind to just forget about it. If Iwaizumi wanted to…hang around Kageyama, that was his business. But then, only the next day, Kageyama sent a text to Iwaizumi telling him that Karasuno was going to a training camp.

 

In Tokyo.

 

Oikawa was furious.

 

His team had never been invited to something like that. And they had _won_ against Karasuno. How had they scored an invitation and Seijoh hadn’t?

 

He began training more, pushing his team. If Karasuno was going to be training from powerhouse schools in Tokyo, his team needed to improve as well. How embarrassing would it be if they ended up losing to Karasuno during the Spring High?

 

Oikawa would never be able to look Kageyama in the eye again.

 

He knew Iwaizumi was irritated that he had been decided to stay late and not join him in his…attempts to see Kageyama. But he just brushed off any invitations to join him and continued to work both on his own and with other teammates he talked into staying late with him. Usually it was Kunimi and Kindaichi – Kindaichi being easier to convince than Kunimi.

 

He went a full week with avoiding Kageyama when he caught Iwaizumi blinking down at his phone in surprise as they changed after practice. “Iwa-chan? Everything alright?”

 

“Uh…yeah. Fine.”

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed and he leaned over Iwaizumi’s shoulder. It was a text from Kageyama. The momentary flare of anger and annoyance in his chest faded quickly when he actually read the conversation.

 

**_Kageyama:_ **

****

**_Received 20:33: ran into Ushiwaka today_ **

****

**_Sent 20:24: what? How did that happen?_ **

****

**_Received 20:27: hinata and I got lost when running. Met him and followed him to Shiratorizawa._ **

****

**_Received 20:28: I don’t like him_ **

****

**_Sent 20:32: wow. Seems to be a reoccurring theme_ **

****

Oikawa squawked. “He did what?!”

 

“Trashykawa! Don’t read my messages!”

 

But Oikawa ignored his ranting soulmate as he pulled out his own phone and clicked on a number that had never been used.

 

It went to voicemail.

 

“Oh, that irritating brat!” Oikawa snarled.

 

“Hey! What the hell did you just say?!”

 

**_Kageyama:_ **

****

**_Sent 20:38: ANSWER UR PHONE_ **

 

He called the boy yet again and this time the phone was answered. . “What?” The boy growled. Oikawa instantly scowled.

 

“That’s no way to talk to your _soulmate_ , Tobio-chan,” Oikawa said, his tone mimicking Kageyama’s. He saw Iwaizumi roll his eyes and lean against the wall with an irritated expression on his face. Oikawa ignored him. “Why were you with Ushiwaka? And what did he say? Did you tell him?”

 

 “About the soulmate thing?” Kageyama asked. Oikawa shouldn’t have been surprised that he heard the confusion in the younger boy’s voice. “Why would I do that?”

 

“Well, I don’t _know_!” Oikawa snapped. “Why were you talking to him in the first place?!”

 

“Hinata and I ran into him when we were running,” Kageyama said slowly. “I asked him if we could go to Shiratorizawa-“

 

“You did _what_?!” Why the hell would he do that?!

 

“-and he agreed. So, we went and saw that they were playing a practice match with a college team-“

 

“WHAT team?!”

 

“But then Ushiwaka started saying things about a sapling and growth or something. Then he started talking about you-“

 

“Of course he did. It’s _Ushiwaka_!”

 

“-and how you bring out the best of your teammates but then he said that you were the only strong person on your team and everyone else was weak.”

 

Oikawa felt himself freeze. Did he just hear what he thought he had heard? He must have been mistaken. Or maybe Kageyama was. He had trouble understanding others. There must have been some sort of confusion. Ushiwaka was hard to understand, after all. “I’m sorry,” Oikawa said politely. “Can you repeat the end of that? He said _what_ about my team?”

 

“Uh, that they were weak?”

 

Oh, he was going to _hurt_ Ushiwaka. He let out a deep breath. “Oh, did he now? How interesting. Well,” he cleared his throat and turned blazing eyes onto Iwaizumi. His best friend stood up straight instantly with a wary expression. “I’m going to let you go now, Tobio-chan. My _weak_ team and I need to do some practicing.”

 

“Aren’t you guys done for the night?”

 

“Not anymore,” Oikawa snapped as he snapped his phone shut. “Iwa-chan, call everyone back.”

 

“No.”

 

“Iwa-“

 

“I’m not going to call them all back because you’re pissed at Ushiwaka. We’ll practice late tomorrow.”

 

“But-“

 

“ _No_ , Trashykawa!”

 

Oikawa pouted but allowed his best friend to drag him home. It was fine. He would work on a new training regiment that night and then they could start the extended practice the next day.

 

But he was still irritated.

 

His team was not exactly happy about the longer practices but the complaining died down after the first couple of days when he promised they would only be two days a week. And he was still able to talk some of his team into staying later. It was one night when he had managed to convince Kunimi to work with him after practice that it happened.

 

Another panic attack.

 

He fell to his knees, the volleyball bouncing away from him as Kunimi ran up beside him. “Oikawa-san? What’s wro-“

 

“Phone,” Oikawa gasped out. Kunimi didn’t hesitate to run over to Oikawa’s bad and grab his phone. He knelt down beside Oikawa and held the phone out. Oikawa scrabbled with it for a moment but he managed to flip it open and press a contact that was coming increasingly familiar.

 

“…hello?”

 

“Who…are…you?”

 

“Sugawara Koushi. Vice-captain of-“

 

“Put me on speaker!” Oikawa gasped out. Only a moment later he heard the sound of people panicking and someone speaking lowly and clearly.

 

“Oi! Kageyama! Look at me!”

 

Who the hell was that? It didn’t matter.

 

“Tobio-chan!” Oikawa gasped out. He felt Kunimi straighten up in surprise next to him. “Tobio, listen to me! Breathe!” There wasn’t a response and Oikawa fell back just slightly as his breathing suddenly became even more labored. “Mr. Refreshing! Help him!”  


“Kageyama, look at me,” the other voice said suddenly and, despite the fact that Oikawa felt like he was dying, he felt a bit of annoyance that someone else was taking control and his _soulmate_ was ignoring him. “Just like last time, alright? Breathe with me…”

 

“Is he okay?” Oikawa gasped. He turned to the side and looked into Kunimi’s surprised eyes. “Call Iwa-chan.”

 

Kunimi nodded his head and moved to his feet, running out of the room. Good to know the boy could move that quickly. Apparently, Oikawa had more work to do with him.

 

He felt his breathing loosening and Oikawa closed his eyes tightly in relief. As irritating as it was, the mysterious person had seemed to help Kageyama. Kunimi hurried back into the gym with his phone against his ear. “He called Kageyama…I don’t know if he did or not…”

“Tobio-chan! Are you listening to me?!” Oikawa demanded.

 

No response.

 

“Hey! One of you make him listen to me!” Oikawa growled out as much as he could. His throat was sore. “Tobio-chan!”

 

“I’m fine,” Tobio suddenly snapped and then the phone went dead.

 

He had hung up on him.

 

Oh, that little _brat_! Oikawa turned and grabbed the phone from Kunimi, “Tobio-chan hung up on me!”

 

“Is he alright” Iwaizumi asked with relief.

 

“I don’t know. He _hung up on me_!”

 

“Shittykawa, we all want to hang up on you.”

 

“Mean!”

 

“I’m coming to the school. We’ll go see Kageyama.”

 

Oikawa scowled but didn’t bother to argue. He closed the phone and handed it back to a still surprised Kunimi. Oikawa stood shakily and stared down at the younger boy. Kunimi’s eyes skirted away from his own. “I would appreciate it if you kept this a secret, Sleepy-chan.”

 

“Right.”

 

Oikawa raised his eyebrows. “Fine. Well, Iwa-chan is on his way so we’ll stop today. Have a good night!”

 

Kunimi nodded and took a few steps before seeming to hesitate. He turned back toward Oikawa and looked up at the ceiling as he spoke. “Have you...talked to him about his mother?”

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed instantly. Kunimi was observant, maybe as observant as Oikawa himself. And he had spent more time with Kageyama than Oikawa had – not that he would tell him that. “Should I have?”

 

Kunimi frowned just slightly and shrugged his shoulders. “Just a suggestion,” he muttered before turning and walking away yet again. Oikawa watched him go with a scowl curling his lips. What had Kunimi picked up on over the years that would actually make him say something to Oikawa? Something bad enough that he would actually, somewhat, care about a person that he supposedly hated?

 

Oikawa took a deep breath and closed his eyes. No. He didn’t care. It wasn’t his problem. He had his own things to deal with, he didn’t need Kageyama’s problems on top of his own. So, he was going to take the words from Kunimi, take his own suspicions, take the sudden rush of memories that flooded him of Kageyama’s odd behavior, and stuff them into the corner of his mind.

 

And then he was going to forget about them.


	8. Suga and First Pieces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Suga had been watching Kageyama. He knew that something was wrong. He just had to figure out what it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I'm going to ask you for some recommendations. I've read a lot of fics on this site, a LOT, and I'm running out of things to read. So, can you please rec your favorites? Even if I've read them already, I might want to read them again. You can either do so below or you can email me at sandersonsister@yahoo.com 
> 
> Please and thank you!

Suga had been watching Kageyama closely for weeks. When the first Tokyo games were announced, Kageyama had been as excited as anyone else. But that changed almost instantly. The thing was, Suga had been watching him and Hinata in amusement when Takeda mentioned the permission forms. Kageyama’s entire body had tensed and his face had paled drastically. The panic attack had started _before_ Takeda mentioned the exams.

 

Suga began to notice other things after that. The way Kageyama’s face lit up whenever Daichi or he bought the team food after practice. He always ate it quickly and eyed the bag hopefully. Suga had made sure to always buy enough for the younger boy to have two.

 

Then there were the tests themselves. Tanaka, Noya, and Hinata were all nervous that they would fail and not be able to attend the training camp. But Kageyama was on a completely different level. He grew more and more frustrated when he didn’t understand something and became shaky whenever the permission forms were mentioned. Suga was slowly starting to put various pieces together and he wasn’t liking what he was seeing.

 

But then one day that seemed to change. Kageyama came to early practice with a smile, an actual smile, decorating his face. And it wasn’t he creepy one that had people backing away from him. The entire team stared at the setter in shock as he tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his happiness. “What do you think is going on with him?” Daichi murmured as Hinata began to tease Kageyama mercilessly.

 

“No idea,” Suga said incredulously. “Maybe he had a good night?”

 

“What kind of night could cause _that_?”

 

Suga’s lips twitched and Daichi groaned loudly, burying his face in his hands. “No, Suga. Just…no.” Suga chuckled at his best friends’ discomfort and continued to watch Hinata jump over Kageyama and Noya attempt to get an answer out of the first year.

 

“I didn’t even say anything. What type of things are going through your mind, Daichi?” he asked in amusement. Daichi’s groan just grew louder before they separated to run through drills.

 

Suga couldn’t help but smile fondly whenever he saw Tobio walking through the halls that day. The beaming look on his face had yet to fade and Suga could only imagine what had happened to make it appear. He was happy for his underclassman.

 

But then it came time for afternoon practice and Takeda had an announcement for the team. “The forms need to be returned by the end of next week,” the man informed the team as he began to pass out the paper. Suga watched as Kageyama’s bright expression dropped and his skin paled drastically. The light that had been in his eyes died and was replaced by a dark shadow.

 

“Kageyama-kun? Are you okay?” he asked quickly. He frowned at the completely lost expression on Kageyama’s face when he looked up at him. His breath started to become shorter and his hands were clenching as his sides. Suga noticed sweat beading on the younger boy’s forehead. “Why don’t we go to the club room?” Suga asked softly. He attempted to reach down to help the boy to his feet but Kageyama flinched away from the touch. Suga paused and let out a silent breath before letting his hand fall to his side once more. “Kageyama? Can you stand?”

 

The first-years head nodded and Suga had to resist the urge to move forward and help him as he shakily climbed to his feet. Suga glanced around at the rest of the team, seeing the concerned and slightly scared faces peering back at him. He shook his head slightly, hoping they all got the hint to not say a word and leave Kageyama be. Tobio began to move quickly toward the door and Suga followed him closely in case he needed to catch the setter if he stumbled. He met Daichi’s eyes on the way out and the captain took a step toward them but Suga waved him away. Daichi stopped mid step and sent him a look that clearly said they would be talking later. Kageyama began to run as they exited the gym and Suga gasped his name before running after him.

 

The boy ran to the clubroom and immediately sank down onto the floor. Suga swallowed hard as he watched him, wondering if he should have brought Tsukishima with them. He had been there the last couple of times Tsukishima managed to talk Kageyama down but he wasn’t sure he would be able to do it himself. But, watching the gasping boy, he knew he had to try. “Hey,” Suga breathed, slowly sitting on the ground beside the shaking Kageyama. “You know we’re here for you, right?” Kageyama’s head turned toward him slightly, his brows furrowed in confusion, and Suga winced. That might not have been the best explanation. He tried to smile but he was pretty sure it came off a bit broken. “Kageyama, I know that you aren’t used to…trusting people around you. But something is really bothering you. Something…that has to do with that form,” Suga said softly as he let his eyes move purposely toward the form that was wrinkled and ripped in Kageyama’s hand. “Do you think it’s going to be a problem getting it signed?”

 

Kageyama’s eyes flew open wide and he stared at Suga in shock. Suga gave him what he hoped was a reassuring smile. “It wasn’t that hard to figure out,” he commented in an extremely soft voice. He reached out and gently held the corner of the permission slip. “I can have Daichi call your family. They don’t have to know that they’re the only ones-“

 

“No!” Kageyama said quickly, shaking his head frantically. Suga’s brows furrowed.

 

“Kageyama-kun,” he said softly. “Let us help you.” Kageyama bit his lip and stared hard at the floor. Suga felt a pang of sympathy at the look of vulnerability on the other boy’s face. Whatever it was that was going on in Kageyama’s home life was clearly something the other didn’t want the team to know about. If he didn’t want to say anything to Daichi then maybe… “What about Takeda?” Suga prodded gently.

 

Kageyama glanced at Suga with hesitation. “Do you think he would?”

 

Suga gave him a small smile. “There’s only one way to find out.” He stood and offered his hand to the other boy. Kageyama paused for only a moment before placing his hand in Suga’s. Suga’s grin widened at the show of trust and he pulled the younger boy to his feet. “Alright, I’ll go get Takeda. Take a few moments to yourself.”

 

Kageyama’s head bowed and Suga hurried out of the clubroom. He stepped into the gym and Daichi hurried toward him. Suga shook his head. “Give me a few more minutes,” Suga said to his best friend. “I need to talk to Takeda.”

  
“Suga-“

 

“I promise we’ll talk, Daichi.”

 

Daichi stared at him with dark eyes but the older boy let out a deep sigh and nodded his head. Suga sent a grin toward his friend and swiftly jogged to where Takeda was sitting beside Ukai. He asked if the teacher could speak to him and Kageyama and the man was quick to agree. They stopped by the clubroom to collect Kageyama and then made their way toward the teacher’s area where Takeda offered them chairs. Luckily, most of the other teachers had headed home or were occupied with their club activities so the three were alone in the room. “Kageyama-kun? Something you needed to talk to me about?”

 

Kageyama turned wide eyes onto Suga. Suga smiled at him encouragingly. “It’s alright, Kageyama-kun. You can tell us.”

 

Kageyama’s jaw clenched but he slowly began to speak. He talked about how his mother had moved out of the family home when he was in junior high. How she had recently moved to Tokyo to be with her fiancé. That she sent him funds each month for living expenses. Suga could feel anger bubbling in his chest when he remembered his earlier thoughts about Kageyama always being so appreciative whenever he was given food. His eyes glanced down at Kageyama’s trainers. He had noticed that they were worn and had wondered why the other boy, who took volleyball so seriously, hadn’t bothered to replace them.

 

Things were staring to make sense.

 

He didn’t like it.

 

Takeda was frowning as Kageyama explained his situation. “Kageyama-kun, if your mother is living in Tokyo, who are you staying with?”

 

Kageyama shifted in his chair. “Uh, well, I mean…the house was my grandparents and I can still…she sends me money each month…”

 

Takeda’s frown grew, “Kageyama-kun-“

 

“If she knows that you all know she’s going to make me leave!” Kageyama said loudly and Suga sat back in his chair at the sudden harshness and panic in the first year’s voice. “She’ll send me to some boarding school or something! I can’t – Iwaizumi-san checks on me all the time!”

 

“Iwaizumi-san?”

 

“The ace from Aoba Johsai,” Suga cut in, sending Kageyama a knowing look. It made him happy to know that Iwaizumi was at least trying to take care of his kohai. Though…he did wonder why only Iwaizumi was mentioned. Kageyama had two soulmates, correct? “And, unless I’m mistaken, Kageyama-kun’s soulmate.”Kageyama blushed but he nodded in agreement. “Well, I think Kageyama-kun is in good hands. But if we want a chance of defeating Nekoma…” Suga trailed off and sent a frown in Takeda’s direction.

 

“Alright, I’ll speak to your mother,” Takeda agreed with a sigh. “But you have to promise me that if anything happens and you need help, you’ll contact me.”

 

“I promise,” Kageyama said quickly. Suga’s lips twitched. He would make sure that the younger boy didn’t forget that promise.

 

Takeda nodded his head. “Well now, I think the two of you need to be returning to practice,” he said with a small smile. “I will let you know what your mother decides.”

 

Kageyama stood quickly and bowed, thanking the teacher profusely. Suga did the same, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. Though things were obviously not miraculously fixed, at least Kageyama had taken a step toward letting them help him. At least when it came to this.

 

“It will be okay,” Suga encouraged as the two made their way toward the gym once more. “Takeda will take care of everything. As long as you’re able to pass the exams-“

 

Kageyama cut him off with a loud groan and Suga couldn’t help but look at the younger boy in surprise. Kageyama had a stunned look on his own face as he stopped walking. Suga could see that the younger boy was unsure of his actions at that moment. Laughter bubbled up in Suga’s chest and it slowly trickled out of his mouth.

 

He began to laugh loudly and it was only made worse by the confused and indignant expression Kageyama was wearing. “Sorry!” Suga gasped. “Sorry! You just…you looked so surprised! I mean…it isn’t like I haven’t heard worse from you!” After all the arguments he had seen the other boy in, a loud groan certainly wasn’t going to change Suga’s opinion of Kageyama Tobio.  Realization crossed Kageyama’s face and he crossed his arms over his chest as Suga’s laughter slowly began to die. He still had a smile on his face as he changed the subject. “So, how are your studies going?”

 

Tobio scowled. “Fine.” Right, that was convincing.

 

“And how is it going working with Tsukishima?” Suga continued.

 

“…fine?”

 

“Sounding a little unsure there,” Suga giggled. He knew the two first years had issues that they needed to work through but he had hoped they had been getting along more since they were spending so much time together. Based on Kageyama’s answer and the expression of distaste on his face, Suga was going to assume that wasn’t the case. “Alright, I won’t ask you anymore questions today. Go practice.”

 

Kageyama nodded and moved off to the rest of the team but Daichi, once again, met Suga at the door. “So?” he muttered. Suga sent an exasperated look at his best friend by led them to the corner of the gym where they were less likely to be overheard.

 

“Kageyama-kun is worried about his mother. Apparently, she left him on his own years ago and he has only seen her a couple of times since,” Suga said bluntly, knowing his best friends temper. Daichi’s brows furrowed.

 

“And his father?”

 

“He didn’t mention him,” Suga shrugged. “But he stated he was living alone. His mother sends him money each month but I don’t think it’s enough.”

 

Realization crossed the captains face. “The meat buns.”

 

“Yeah,” Suga agreed with a grimace. Daichi’s fists tightened at his sides. “He said that Iwaizumi comes to help him-“

 

“So they know.”

 

Suga hesitated. “Well, he said Iwaizumi. He didn’t mention Oikawa at all.”

 

Daichi growled and closed his eyes tightly. Suga looked at his friend warily. Daichi was usually calm and collected but when something made him angry he tended to not think clearly before acting. “What the hell-“

 

“You know the relationship between the two is complicated,” Suga said placatingly. “I’m sure the two are fine. Besides, it isn’t any of our business-“

 

“He should have let us know-“

 

“Daichi,” Suga sighed. “Let’s just concentrate on what we’re going to do now. Takeda is going to contact Kageyama’s mother about the Tokyo games. Kageyama has been so worried lately because he doesn’t think she’ll allow him to go. Once we find out the outcome of that call, we’ll decide what to do now.”

 

Daichi sighed deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Right. Fine. I guess we can do that.”

 

“We can,” Suga said, a sly smile coming across his face. “And we’ll take the team out for meat buns this afternoon.”

 

Daichi chuckled and his hand fell. “Didn’t we do that yesterday?”

 

Suga smiled and his eyes trailed to Kageyama. “I think one more this week wouldn’t hurt. After all, Kageyama has had a hard day.”

 

Daichi laughed. “Right. Right, that’s good.”

 

“It is,” Suga agreed. He smirked at his best friend and slapped his shoulder. “Now, let’s practice.”

 

Suga watched as Daichi visibly began to calm as practice went on. Kageyama seemed to come back into himself as well. It always amazed Suga how his teammates could be so invested in the game. He knew that he was the same way, that being on the court just made the rest of the word fade away. It was something that they all needed.

 

Maybe Kageyama needed it more than the rest of them.

 

Practice ended and Suga saw Takeda call Kageyama toward him. Suga purposely distracted the rest of the team away from their conversation, telling them that he and Daichi were taking them out for meat buns. Daichi complained that Suga was claiming credit when they both knew Daichi was the one that would be paying. Suga just smiled and winked at his friend as he watched Kageyama and Takeda from the corner of his eye. “Thank you,” Kageyama yelled suddenly, bowing low at the waist. Suga’s shoulders relaxed at the display. “Thank you so much!”

 

Hinata yelled at Kageyama to hurry because they were going to get food. The setter blinked in confusion before glancing at Daichi. Suga knew that the first year had figured out what they were doing but he didn’t bother to say anything about it. That in itself spoke volumes to Suga. He came up to Kageyama’s side and held the other boy back slightly as the rest of the team began to walk. “Is everything alright, Kageyama-kun? Was Takeda able to contact your mother?”

 

Kageyama nodded and glanced toward the rest of the team, probably making sure that they wouldn’t be able to overhear their conversation. “She promised to sign the form as long as I pass my exams.”

 

Suga smiled brightly at the wince Kageyama expressed at the words. “That’s great! I know you’ll do well. You’ve been working really hard, Kageyama-kun. I think even Tsukishima is surprised at how well you’re doing.” Kageyama’s eyebrows rose as he looked at the blond in question. Suga followed his gaze and his lips twitched at the glare the blond was sporting as he faced Hinata. “Well, he knows deep down, anyway.”

 

“I don’t think I believe you,” Kageyama responded and hid a laugh behind his hand.

 

“What a thing to say to your senpai! But don’t worry about it, Kageyama-kun. You’ll realize I’m right with time.”

 

He certainly hoped he was, anyway. His laughter increased as Kageyama’s nose scrunched up in disgust. They might just need to take all of this one step at a time.


	9. A Phone Call

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daichi calls Oikawa.

_Ringringring_

“Hello?”

 

_“Oikawa? This is Daichi, the captain from Karasuno.”_

 

“Oh! Captain-chan. Did you need something? Wanting to schedule another practice match?”

 

_“No, I just wanted to check in with you. Kageyama-kun has been a bit of a mess the past couple of weeks and I wanted to make sure that everything was okay. Besides the obvious issues.”_

 

“…right. Sure. Everything is fine.”

 

_“Okay…because he seems really stressed out about the exams. And Suga, my vice-captain, had to pull him from practice a few days ago. They talked to our sensei about his mother-“_

 

“Mother?”

 

_“…yeah, about how Kageyama was worried that she wouldn’t sign the form? So he could go to Tokyo? Has he mentioned Tokyo?”_

 

“He did. He didn’t say anything about a form.”

 

_“Oh. Well, we have to get the permission form signed and you know how Kageyama and his mother don’t have the best relationship.”_

 

“Right.”

 

_“I know he isn’t comfortable saying anything but I would think, as a fellow captain, you would have mentioned how bad it is. If you had, I would have at least made sure he had enough to eat after practice,” a throat cleared, “anyway, that’s not why I was calling. He mentioned that Iwaizumi was checking in on him and everything but I wanted to know if we needed to do anything else. Because he’s barely functioning beyond practice and studying at the moment and Suga is a little worried.”_

 

“…everything is fine. Iwa-chan and I will make sure when we see him tonight.”

 

_“Oh. I didn’t…right. I guess that makes sense, you have a polybond, after all. Suga and I were thinking about the team chipping in to buy him some new shoes. The ones he has now are falling apart and with the allowance he gets from his mother each month, it doesn’t seem to be enough for him to-“_

 

“Don’t worry about it. Iwa-chan and I will take care of it.”

 

_“Look, Oikawa, I know you two have this whole rivalry thing but I really wish you would have told me this was going on. Just keep me informed from now on, alright?”_

“Right. Sorry, I should have.”

 

_“Okay, well, thanks.”_

 

“Yeah.”

 

 

End Call - _click_


	10. Oikawa and Reactions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa reacts to the call and pays Tobio a visit.

Oikawa snapped his phone shut and stared at the wall in front of him. Rage was working its way through his veins.

 

_Kageyama-kun has been a bit of a mess the past couple of weeks_

 

_…talked to our sensei about his mother…_

 

_We have to get the permission form signed and you know how Kageyama and his mother don’t have the best relationship._

 

_…at least made sure he had enough to eat after practice…_

 

Oikawa snarled and threw his phone across the room in a fit of anger. Not only had this been happening, he was getting called out by another captain…because of his soulmate. Because of _Kageyama_. He knew Iwaizumi had been going to Kageyama’s house, usually when he thought Oikawa was busy, but he didn’t think his best friend knew about this. If Iwa had known, he would have done something about it. He would have mentioned it to Oikawa.

 

So he didn’t know.

 

Kageyama hadn’t told him.

 

Oikawa walked with determination the next morning. He slammed his way into Iwaizumi’s classroom, ignoring the startled looks he received from the other people in the classroom. Iwaizumi frowned and glanced over his shoulder, only to roll his eyes and face forward once he saw Oikawa standing in the doorway. “I’m going with you tonight,” Oikawa told him, his eyes hard and his hands balled into fists at his sides.

  
Iwaizumi glanced up. “Not if you’re going to act like that.”

 

Oikawa scowled. “Iwa-chan-“

 

“I don’t know what happened to make you like this,” Iwaizumi said, his voice low. “But you aren’t going to take it out on Kageyama. Now sit your ass down and tell me what’s happening.”

 

Oikawa’s hands fell limp but he stubbornly kept standing. “You wanted me to get along with him, right? Shouldn’t you want me to go with you?” Oikawa turned and walked out the door to head to his own classroom. “I’ll go with you after practice!”

 

“Trashy-“  


Oikawa didn’t stick around to hear the reasons of why he shouldn’t go. If Iwaizumi wasn’t going to let him join him, he would go on his own.

 

Oikawa ignored all questions from Iwaizumi about what was happening and why he had suddenly decided to join hm that night. Iwaizumi was getting more and more annoyed but Oikawa detected the interest and low-key hope in Iwaizumi’s voice. Despite all evidence, Iwaizumi was hoping that Oikawa had decided to give this a chance and was trying to step forward in the relationship.

 

Both knew that wasn’t the case.

 

But Iwaizumi was still optimistic anyway.

 

The two made their way to Kageyama’s house silently that night. Iwaizumi’s eyes were narrowed as he glanced over at Oikawa as they walked down the street but Oikawa avoided his gaze. Things between them had been…off…for weeks. And Oikawa knew why. Because of Kageyama.

 

Why was everything in his life always thrown off because of Tobio-chan?

 

The two stopped outside of the gate at Kageyama’s house, Iwaizumi muttering something about Kageyama not being back from practice yet. Oikawa pursed his lips at the information. Either Karasuno’s practices ran late often or Kageyama stayed late on a regular basis.

 

Probably something else he didn’t tell Iwaizumi. Because the older boy had enough experience with Oikawa to make sure someone else didn’t repeat his mistakes.

 

After what seemed like hours of waiting, Kageyama appeared down the street. Oikawa huffed as the boy looked up and paused when he saw them, his eyes narrowed and a scowl permanently etched across his face. Iwaizumi sighed, “Be nice,” he muttered before pasting a strained smile on his face and taking a step toward Kageyama. “Hey,” Iwaizumi said quickly once Kageyama came close to them. “Uh, Oikawa is going to help with Engl-“

 

“Oikawa is not,” he snapped instantly. He came here to deal with an annoying soulmate and appease said soulmates captain, not help an idiot with his homework. He turned his eyes onto Kageyama and noticed the darkening bruise on the boy’s arm. Which reminded him, “What have you been doing? I’m covered in bruises!”

 

Kageyama frowned in confusion, a look Oikawa was familiar with on the other boy’s face, and glanced over at Iwaizumi. “Practicing?”

 

Oikawa huffed. “Whatever,” he muttered. He shifted from one foot to the other, waiting for Kageyama to let the into the house. He was uncomfortable with standing out on the street, especially with the conversation they were getting ready to have. Not that Kageyama or Iwaizumi were aware of the conversation as of yet. Kageyama just stared at him, not moving from his spot on the sidewalk, and Oikawa scowled. “So, are you going to let us in or not?”

 

Kageyama’s face contorted and Oikawa gasped as Iwaizumi let out a bark of laughter. It was obvious what the younger boy was thinking. “Tobio- _chan_! Rude!”

 

Kageyama shrugged and Oikawa turned toward Iwaizumi to complain but the third-year ace just mimicked Kageyama’s shrug and smirked. Oikawa stuck out his tongue in retaliation. Tobio moved past them and unlocked the door, kicking his shoes off before moving toward the kitchen table. Iwaizumi did the same but he continued into the kitchen, rummaging through the cabinets. Oikawa paused in the entry way. The two of them had a routine, it was obvious. Kageyama unloaded his bag and placed the books beside him while Iwaizumi poured a glass of milk. Oikawa’s eyes narrowed the more he watched. Iwaizumi had never liked milk. Oikawa knew it wasn’t for him. Iwaizumi didn’t even glance Oikawa’s way as he placed the glass down in front of Kageyama. The younger boy nodded is head at Iwaizumi at the motion and Iwaizumi smiled in return.

 

Something ugly welled in Oikawa’s chest.

 

Well, isn’t this _domestic_ ,” Oikawa growled as he moved toward the table and glared at first Kageyama and then Iwaizumi.

 

“Stop,” Iwaizumi replied instantly and the darkness in Oikawa grew when he heard the warning ringing through his soulmates voice.

 

“How often has this been happening, exactly?” He questioned, knowing that Iwaizumi had been coming here without telling him but it had obviously been more often than he thought it was.

 

“Usually every other day,” Iwaizumi commented indifferently. Oikawa’s hands tightened into fists. “You usually stay after practice anyway.”

 

Yes, because those were the only days Iwaizumi allowed him to stay after. He refused to allow him to do extra practice any more than that. And he was using that time to play house with Kageyama. “Ah,” he murmured.

 

Kageyama shifted, moving further down the table. Oikawa’s eyebrows rose. Maybe the kid had survival instincts after all.

 

Iwaizumi turned on him instantly, an angry frown on his face. “Don’t be an ass, Trashykawa. There’s no reason for you to be Jeal-“

 

“I am _not_!”

 

“Then why are you here?”

 

Oikawa’s mouth dropped open. Had – had Iwaizumi just outplayed him? Oh, no. He was not letting this be turned around on him! “Because I got a very interesting call from Daichi-san last night,” Oikawa snapped angrily. Kageyama’s head snapped around in horror and the pen in his hand dropped down onto the table. Oikawa felt a bit of sadistic glee as Kageyama stared at him.

 

“Daichi-“ the boy gasped.

 

“Your captain had a few things to say to me,” Oikawa snapped.  “I don’t like having people questioning me about my soulmates, Tobio-chan. Especially when they’re asking me questions about _things I know nothing about_!”

 

Kageyama flinched back into this chair and Oikawa took a deep breath to calm the anger in his chest. It wouldn’t do them any good to fight about this. No matter how irritated Oikawa was.

 

“Oikawa- “ Iwaizumi started.

 

“No!” Oikawa couldn’t help but growl, “Did you know, Iwa-chan? Did he tell you that the reason for those panic attacks was because of his _mother_? That he has been terrified for weeks because he didn’t think _that woman_ would sign a permission form for him to go to Tokyo? That –“

 

“Stop!” Kageyama yelled, placing his hands over his ears as if that would help to block them out.

 

“Kageyama, is that true?” Iwaizumi asked softly. Oikawa snarled. He had never heard the other boy talk like that to _him_! He just got snapped at and hit and…

 

…and he couldn’t breathe.

 

He gasped for air and saw Iwaizumi lean against the table, doing the same. Oikawa could barely think as he stumbled over to Kageyama and knelt at his side. They needed to stop this. And to do that… “Tobio! Look at me!”

 

Kageyama’s eyes flew open and he looked at Oikawa with panic. “Hey, you need to breathe,” Iwaizumi gasped and Oikawa’s eyes flickered over to the other side of Kageyama, where Iwaizumi was now kneeling. He quickly focused back on the younger boy as breathing suddenly began to get easier.

 

“That’s it,” Oikawa gasped out. He reached out and wrapped his hand around Tobio’s, hoping the feeling of skin on skin contact would help him. He saw Iwaizumi do the same thing on the other side. “Just focus on us. Don’t think about her. Just us.”

 

He couldn’t help but keep his eyes on Iwaizumi’s hand tangled with Tobio’s. He thought he would feel rage, jealousy, or some other negative emotion. Instead, he just felt…like this wasn’t something he should be upset about. He didn’t understand it.  “Well, isn’t this interesting,” he mused. His eyes flickered up to see the defiant expression on Iwaizumi’s face. “Go finish dinner, Iwa-chan.”

 

“Oikawa-“

 

“I’m not going to do anything,” Oikawa snapped tiredly. Kageyama tried to pull his hand away but Oikawa’s grip tightened in response. “Just…go.” His eyes met Iwaizumi’s and the other boy’s brows furrowed before he slowly nodded his head. Whatever he saw on Oikawa’s face must have convinced him that everything would be okay.

 

Which was interesting because Oikawa had absolutely no idea what he was feeling at that moment.

 

“I’ll just be over there,” Iwaizumi told Tobio softly. He seemed to have to pry his hand away from Kageyama’s before he stood and made his way back toward the food that was still cooking. Or burning. One of the two.

 

Despite the soft tone, Oikawa heard the warning ringing beneath. He nodded his head in acknowledgement to show that he understood. Oikawa took a deep breath and focused back on Kageyama once again. “I won’t ask about your mother,” Oikawa said as Iwaizumi walked away. Kageyama once again tried to pull away at the mention of his mother. “Listen. You know I’m not exactly…happy…about any of this. I don’t want it. Neither do you. But the universe has somehow decided to screw us both over so we’ve got what we’ve got. So, we’re going to get along –as much as we can anyway. Because we both care for Iwaizumi. And I’ve come to realize that Iwaizumi,” Oikawa sighed as he went to admit the next words, “cares for you as well. So, stop with the secrets. Got it?”

 

This was not something he wanted to admit to. He felt almost…defeated to know that Iwaizumi had found something in Kageyama that he hadn’t been able to find in Oikawa. But…but why didn’t he feel the expected rage when the two touched each other?

 

He barely registered that Kageyama nodded his head. He was too busy with his own thoughts and trying to sort out what he was feeling. But he let go of Kageyama’s hand and slid into a chair. He knew that, despite the agreement, Kageyama was lying to him. He was a private person and he obviously had some sort of trauma that Oikawa wasn’t aware of. It was going to take time for him to tell them the entire truth. But…

 

…but he was going to have to trust them to do that.

 

“Eat,” Iwaizumi growled, placing food onto the table and looking at Oikawa suspiciously. Oikawa rolled his eyes. “And after…how about a movie? I don’t think we’ll be able to get much studying done tonight.”

 

Kageyama nodded and Oikawa slowly shook his head. “Apparently Tobio-chan is having some trouble passing his mock exams from Glasses,” he commented nonchalantly and he saw Kageyama flinch at the words. Ah, so he was right. Not that surprising. “But if you think that slacking off and watching a movie would be-“

 

“Stop.”

 

Oikawa’s lips twisted up into a smirk at the irritation on Iwaizumi’s face. He began to eat the food, praising Iwaizumi for being the perfect wife. Iwaizumi growled in response and Kageyama watched them in a kind of surprised amusement.

 

It was something that Oikawa had never expected to see.

 

He was almost happy to be there.

 

Almost.


	11. Iwaizumi and Arguments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi is really too tired to deal with this.

Iwaizumi felt like he was holding everything together by a thread. One wrong move and it would all snap completely.

 

He had thought, hoped, that Oikawa had pushed aside his jealousy and decided to take a step forward with him when it came to Kageyama. Especially after the night they had finally cornered the boy at his house after the tournament.

 

But every single time Iwaizumi brought up going to see Kageyama, Oikawa had an excuse of why he couldn’t accompany him.

 

Eventually, Iwaizumi just stopped asking.

 

He visited Kageyama each night Oikawa stayed late in the gym. The nights that Oikawa left with him, the two went to Oikawa’s house and enjoyed their time together. But Iwaizumi could feel the tension boiling under the surface.

 

He just knew that one day it was all going to explode.

 

That was why he hadn’t wanted Oikawa to join him when he went to Kageyama’s house. Oikawa had stormed into the classroom, the anger practically radiating off of him, and Iwaizumi had wanted to keep him as far away from Kageyama as possible. At least until he knew what was going on. But Oikawa was Oikawa and no matter what Iwaizumi said, the other boy was set on joining him that night. He had thought that they were finally at the boiling point when Oikawa brought up the phone call from Karasuno’s captain and Kageyama had yet another panic attack, but it had somehow hadn’t happened. Instead, Oikawa had seemed to pull back and had even begun to join Iwaizumi a couple times a week when he went to see Kageyama.

 

He was even helping Kageyama with his homework.

 

Iwaizumi began to hope that his worries were for naught and they would finally be able to move forward in their relationship. The three of them. Because Iwaizumi would easily admit that he enjoyed spending time with the younger boy and he was beginning to care about him deeply. He wanted, more than anything, for Oikawa to look passed their issues and see the person that Kageyama was now.

 

“Tobio-chan get’s his scores today, right?” Oikawa asked at lunch as he shoved a piece of milkbread into his mouth. Iwaizumi winced. He didn’t understand how Oikawa could eat that crap all the time.

 

  
“He should,” Iwaizumi replied.

 

“Ooh,” Hanamaki smirked. “When do we get to meet the little soulmate? You two are keeping him all to yourselves!”

 

“You’ve met him,” Iwaizumi rolled his eyes.

 

“No, we’ve _seen_ him,” Matsukawa rebutted, raising his eyebrows. “During a volleyball match. And you didn’t even introduce us.”

 

“Rude.”

 

“Very.”  


“It wasn’t like we knew,” Oikawa snapped but then his eyes narrowed in remembrance and Iwaizumi braced himself for what was coming. “Well, _one_ of us didn’t.”

 

Iwaizumi sighed. “I told you I wasn’t sure.”

 

“But you should have told me!”

 

“Oikawa-“ Iwaizumi growled, not wanting to get into this argument again. Especially in front of their current company.

 

“Whatever,” Oikawa muttered, shoving yet another piece of milkbread into his mouth. “Anyway, we’re going, right? To make sure he passed.”

 

Iwaizumi hesitated. With all the studying he had been doing, Tobio shouldn’t have had any trouble passing. Especially since volleyball was on the line. But if he hadn’t, he was going to be upset. And Oikawa was going to be upset because he had spent so much time helping him. “Maybe we should just wait until-“

 

“Let me rephrase,” Oikawa cut him off as he met Iwaizumi’s gaze. His eyes were calm and cool and Iwaizumi instantly knew that he wasn’t going to be able to change his mind. “I am going. If you want to join me, that’s up to you.”

 

Iwaizumi scowled. “Shittykawa-“

 

“Ooh, mom and dad are fighting again,” Hanamaki snickered.

 

“What else is new?”

 

“They really need counseling.”

 

“Couples counseling.”

 

“Or group counseling.”

 

“Right, they can bring step-dad.”

 

“Step-dad?” Oikawa cut in, his eyes narrowing dangerously. Iwaizumi sent a mental plea that the two wouldn’t answer that question.

 

“Your dear Tobio-chan,” Hanamaki said, waving his hand nonchalantly. “Since he and Iwaizumi are getting along so well. Our poor dad is jilted and Tobio-chan is taking his place with mom.”

 

Oikawa’s hands tightened and Iwaizumi mentally cursed as he saw the other boys precious milkbread crumble in his hands. “He is _not_ step-dad!” Oikawa sneered. “And I am not jilted!”

 

“Doesn’t look that way –“

 

“Stop,” Iwaizumi growled. Matsukawa and Hanamaki exchanged a look at the harsh tone but they quickly fell silent. Iwaizumi turned toward Oikawa and reached over to force the other boys’ hands open. “Oi! Trashykawa, look what you did!”

 

Oikawa tore his eyes away from Hanamaki and looked down. He let out a loud whine as he looked at his milkbread. Iwaizumi sighed and stood. “Come on. Let’s get you some more.” He grabbed Oikawa’s wrist and pulled him to his feet, shooting Hanamaki and Matsukawa a glare. “You two should not be here when we get back.”

 

Iwaizumi didn’t wait for a response as he pulled Oikawa from the classroom. The two walked in silence for a minute but eventually, Oikawa turned his wrist sharply. It caused Iwaizumi’s hold to loosen and then Oikawa was slipping his fingers in between Iwaizumi’s. He glanced over his shoulder, surprised at the movement. Oikawa might throw an arm around his shoulder and Iwaizumi might grasp Oikawa’s wrist but the two really weren’t much for physical affection when they were in public. Especially since Oikawa said it “messed with his image” when his fan club realized how close Oikawa and Iwaizumi really were.

 

Iwaizumi thought it was stupid. After all, they all knew the two were soulmates.

 

“Hajime? Were they right?” Oikawa asked softly and Iwaizumi instantly came to a stop. He stared at Oikawa, shocked and a bit hurt by the question. Oikawa avoided his gaze but his hand tightened around Iwaizumi’s. Iwaizumi growled and began to move once more, quickly moving around gawking students and into an unused classroom. As soon as they were alone, Iwaizumi turned toward the taller boy.

 

“How the hell could you even think that?” Iwaizumi growled. “Tooru, you know that isn’t true.”

 

Oikawa still wasn’t looking at him. “I mean, we just really haven’t been… and you spend so much time with Tobio-chan.” He wasn’t making any sense.

 

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” Iwaizumi snarled as he let go of Oikawa’s hand and placed both of his hands on either side of Oikawa’s face and pulling the other boy toward him. Oikawa whined. “You’ve been going to Kageyama’s with me. And we spend most of the week together. Hell, we slept together last night. So what the hell are you complaining about?”

 

Oikawa blushed and glanced around quickly, probably looking for anyone within hearing distance. “Iwa-chan! You can’t just say that!” He bit his lip and Iwaizumi could feel the smile threatening to break out from where he still held onto Oikawa’s cheeks. “Fine. Sorry. Stupid Makki and Mattsun made me second guess everything.”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and took a step forward. He pressed a hard kiss onto Oikawa’s lips and smirked in satisfaction as Oikawa let out a deep groan. “Stop listening to those two, dumbass. You know they’re just trying to get under your skin.”

 

Oikawa sighed and leaned forward to lean his head against Iwaizumi’s shoulder. Iwaizumi instantly shifted to accommodate him, his right arm wrapping around Oikawa’s trim waist and his left coming up to gently stroke Oikawa’s hair. “I know. Sorry.”

 

“Don’t do it again,” Iwaizumi murmured, still a bit upset that just a few words could make Oikawa question their relationship.

 

“Sorry,” Oikawa said yet again, most likely knowing what Iwaizumi was thinking. Iwaizumi sighed and gently pulled away from Oikawa, making the other boy stand up straight.

 

“Milkbread,” Iwaizumi reminded him.

 

Oikawa’s smile lit the room. “Milkbread.”

 

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes and the two quickly made their way into the cafeteria. It was after they finished lunch (Matsukawa and Hanamaki nowhere to be seen after they returned to the classroom) that Iwaizumi noticed the new writing on his arm. He sighed and prepared himself to scold Oikawa for using this method when they would see each other soon in practice, but he froze when he read the words.

 

_Did you get your results? How did it go?_

 

Oikawa was attempting to communicate with Kageyama.

 

Well, he wasn’t going to be upset about that.

 

He checked his arm periodically throughout the rest of the day but Kageyama never responded. Iwaizumi felt his stomach drop. He truly hoped that it was just because the other boy was busy and hadn’t seen the writing.

 

“He didn’t respond,” Oikawa said the second they saw each other in the clubroom once class was over. Iwaizumi winced.

 

“He probably didn’t see it.”

 

“We’re going to his house after practice.”

 

Iwaizumi sighed and nodded. There was no way to change Oikawa’s mind about this. It would be a waste of time to try.

 

So the two changed out of their practice clothes and into their uniforms before making the trip to Kageyama’s home. No lights were on and there was no response when they rang the bell. Oikawa huffed and leaned against the wall, his lips forming a pout. “Why is he always late?”

 

Iwaizumi couldn’t help but send him a fond look. “He didn’t know we were coming, Trashykawa. Be patient.”

 

Oikawa whined but quickly latched onto Iwaizumi’s arm, leaning down so his head was on Iwaizumi’s shoulder. The two stayed in that position for almost twenty minutes before Iwaizumi tapped Oikawa’s arm as Kageyama slowly shuffled down the street.

 

Iwaizumi felt a sense of foreboding.

 

“Tobio- _chan_!” Oikawa snapped, crossing his arms over his chest and looking at the younger boy with a pout. Iwaizumi rolled his eyes. “Why are you ignoring us?!”

 

 _That_ was the first thing he was going to say? “Shut up, Shittykawa!” Iwaizumi snapped. Kageyama frowned at the two of them, the confusion obvious on his face. Iwaizumi couldn’t help but give him a small smile. “You got your results today, right?”

 

Kageyama nodded in response and walked toward the two of them. “Finally!” Oikawa muttered and his arms dropped to his sides. “Iwa-chan has been waiting for you to answer all day!”

 

Iwaizumi shook his head but smiled fondly. Of course he wouldn’t want to admit that he had been the one panicking the entire day. “Oh, have I now?”

 

Oikawa huffed in annoyance but Iwaizumi could easily detect the amusement beneath it. “So?” he demanded, his eyes once again on Kageyama.

 

Kageyama started at the ground as he responded. “I’m going to Tokyo.”

 

_Oh, thank whatever deity that’s watching…_

 

“That’s great!”

 

“You didn’t answer my question,” Oikawa cut in. Iwaizumi blinked and turned toward him. He saw the narrowed eyes and frowned. Oikawa was always better at picking up signals than he was. What had he missed? “Tobio-chan, did you pass?”

 

Kageyama didn’t respond. He just walked by the two of them and unlocked the door to the house. Oikawa grabbed Iwaizumi’s arm and pulled him inside. Iwaizumi was still frowning as he sank down onto the couch. Kageyama didn’t look happy. If he had passed, he would be more excited. But still, he said he was going to Tokyo…

 

“Tobio-“ Oikawa started.

 

“I failed one test,” Kageyama muttered. Iwaizumi cursed as the boy pulled what he assumed to be the exam paper out of his bag. Oikawa didn’t waste any time in snatching the paper from his hand and looking it over.

 

“You said you were going to Tokyo,” was the only thing Iwaizumi could say. He didn’t understand what had happened. He stood and took a couple of steps so he could look over Oikawa’s shoulder at the paper.

 

_Oh shit._

Reading comprehension. Hadn’t Oikawa been harping on Kageyama to work on his reading comprehension?

 

“It was just one,” Kageyama mumbled as they stared at the paper. “It should only take the morning. Tanaka said he could have someone drive us to Tokyo.”

 

“Who?” Oikawa snapped. Iwaizumi sighed. Oikawa was angry but Iwaizumi wanted the answer as well. Riding with someone to Tokyo wasn’t something to do if you didn’t know the person driving.

 

“Uh, I don’t know.”

 

“You don’t know?” Oikawa snapped, throwing his hands up in the air in exasperation. “You not only failed Modern Lit, _which I told you to study for_ , but you now have to take supplementary exams and you’re going to get in a car and drive to Tokyo with someone you don’t even know? I know you aren’t the smartest person, Tobio, but this is ridiculous!”

 

Okay, that was taking it a little too far. As usual. “Oi! Trashy-“

 

“I might not be smart,” Kageyama snapped, cutting Iwaizumi off. He bit back his own sharp retort. “But at least my team cares enough about me to find a way to get me there!”

 

 _Dammit!_ “Hey, Kage-“

 

“The only reason your team is _attempting_ to get you to Tokyo is because they know there’s no way they could win without you,” Oikawa snarled as he took an angry step forward. Iwaizumi grabbed onto the back of his shirt to make sure he didn’t do something he would regret. “They don’t have enough talent to win without their genius-“

 

“ _Tooru_!” Iwaizumi roared. But neither of them were listening to him.

 

“At least they-“

 

“What? Like you?” Oikawa let out a mocking chuckle. “Why would they like you?! They just _need_ you-“

 

“Enough!” Iwaizumi finally yelled, yanking on the back of Oikawa’s shirt. Oikawa turned to him in irritation but his expression instantly turned remorseful as he met Iwaizumi’s eyes.

 

“Get out.”

 

Iwaizumi blinked and pulled his eyes away from Oikawa. Kageyama was standing in the middle of the room, his hands clenched at his sides and his body shaking. Iwaizumi took a step forward, wanting to comfort the other boy. “Kageyama-“  


“Get out!” Kageyama screamed. Iwaizumi could only watch in shock as the younger boy grabbed his bag, which he had still been clinging to, and threw it at Oikawa. Pain exploded in Iwaizumi’s knee as the bag struck its target. Oikawa yelled out and Iwaizumi moved to his side instantly, wrapping an arm around his waist to keep him standing. His own knee was throbbing but he knew it was nothing compared to what Oikawa was feeling. Iwaizumi cursed as Oikawa fell against him, pain etched across his face.

 

“Get out!” Kageyama yelled again.

 

“We’re going!” Iwaizumi snapped. He felt like the precocious balance they had was suddenly gone. The thread had completely unraveled.

 

And he wasn’t exactly sure who was to blame.

 

Maybe they all were.

 

Every step toward the door made pain travel through his leg. He knew that Oikawa needed to get off his feet. Putting pressure on his knee was only going to make it worse. But, at the moment, the only thing Iwaizumi wanted was to get them out of there before Kageyama threw something else.

 

He got them outside and let the door click closed behind him and then stopped. He knelt down and gently lifted Oikawa’s trouser leg, wincing himself when a new wave of pain washed over Oikawa. “Shit,” Iwaizumi muttered when he saw the already purpling knee. “Get on,” he muttered, turning so his back was to the other boy. They hadn’t done this in years. He knew that, strength wise, he wouldn’t have any trouble carrying Oikawa but it was going to be awkward with Oikawa being taller than him. But Oikawa didn’t protest or comment as he usually would, which told Iwaizumi more than anything just how hurt he was.

 

And not just physically.

 

Oikawa draped himself over Iwaizumi’s back and Iwaizumi reached behind him to hold onto the other boys’ legs. He was careful to avoid his knee as he tightened his grip and hauled himself to his feet. Oikawa buried his face in Iwaizumi’s shoulder and the two slowly made their way toward Oikawa’s house.

 

Iwaizumi was frustrated. He couldn’t believe that Kageyama would purposely throw the bag at Oikawa’s injured leg. Did he have any idea how much harm that could do? Did he know how Oikawa would react if he was no longer able to play volleyball? There would be no coming back from that for any of them. But he wasn’t just annoyed by Kageyama. Oikawa had gone too far. Again. He shouldn’t have said what he did. Kageyama had changed the past year and he was doing well at Karasuno. He was even making friends. But Iwaizumi had a feeling Kageyama was going to take a major step back after this.

 

Iwaizumi pushed open the Oikawa door without a second thought, calling out a greeting as he kicked off his shoes. Oikawa’s mother called back happily but she didn’t approach. Iwaizumi was thankful for that as he moved down the hall and into Oikawa’s room. He sat on the bed, allowing Oikawa to climb off of him, and then moved into the kitchen to get some ice. By the time he returned, Oikawa had changed into a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt and had his knee up on a pillow. Iwaizumi gently placed the ice on the knee, ignoring the hissing noise Oikawa made when he did so. “Stupid Tobio-chan,” Oikawa growled.

 

Iwaizumi sighed. “He shouldn’t have thrown the bag,” he agreed.

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “That’s it? He shouldn’t have thrown it? That’s all you’re going to say?”

 

Iwaizumi’s jaw tightened. “You don’t want to do this, Tooru. Not right now,” he warned. Oikawa was upset. So was he. This discussion wouldn’t lead them anywhere good.

 

“I don’t care!” Oikawa snapped. “What, you think this is my fault?”

 

“I didn’t say that.”

 

“I know you! You think this is my fault because I was arguing with him!”  


“You weren’t arguing,” Iwaizumi snapped, standing and glaring down at the bed. “You were purposely trying to hurt him. He retaliated.”

 

Oikawa’s mouth dropped. “Oh! He _retaliated_! I get it. So this is all because of me.”

 

“It isn’t all-“

 

“No, that’s what you’re saying, right? That all of the issues are because of me. And _step-dad_ just did what he had to do!”

 

“Shittykawa, I didn’t-“

 

“GO!”

 

Iwaizumi stepped back. “What?”

 

“If you’re so worried about _him_ then go! I don’t want you here!”

 

“You idiot! I’m not-“  


“Go away!” Tooru snarled. He grabbed the volleyball by his bed and threw it with all his might. Iwaizumi instantly moved out of the way but was quick to realize that the ball wasn’t anywhere near him.

 

Oikawa hadn’t actually aimed to hit him.

 

“Go!”

 

“Fine,” Iwaizumi snarled. “I don’t want to deal with this anyway.”

 

He made sure to slam the door on his way out.


	12. Kunimi and Explanations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Why did Kunimi get stuck being the one that had to stay with Oikawa when he's in a bad mood?

Kunimi knew something was wrong the moment he walked into practice and Oikawa was on one side of the court and Iwaizumi was on the other. Hanamaki and Matsukawa were somewhere in the middle, whispering to each other and throwing glances in their friends directions. Oikawa laughed loudly, a completely fake laugh, at whatever Yahaba said. Iwaizumi’s hands fisted as he continued his conversation with Kindaichi.

 

Kunimi wanted to go home.

 

He didn’t know what had happened to come between his captain and vice-captain but he would really like to think that it would affect their practice. But he knew Oikawa too well. Whenever he was in a bad mood, he took it out on the people around him.

 

Kunimi prepared himself to be sore tomorrow.

 

“Oh! Akira-chan!” Oikawa said loudly, waving his hands madly as he gestured for Kunimi to come closer. Kunimi sighed and shuffled toward him, already knowing what words were going to come out of his mouth. “Let’s stay late tonight, okay? I want to work on a quick with you.”

 

“Yes, Oikawa-san,” Kunimi drawled. Yahaba sent him an apologetic glance but turned his attention back to Oikawa as the older setter began to say something yet again. Kunimi scowled. Now he was going to have to push back his homework which meant he was going to go to bed late.

 

That was annoying. He liked to sleep.

 

He walked toward Kindaichi and his friend raised his eyebrows when he saw him approach. “Working late?”

 

“Yes.”

 

Iwaizumi sighed. “Sorry about that. Trashykawa’s in a bad mood.”

 

“It’s fine, Iwaizumi-senpai.”

 

Iwaizumi raised his eyebrows and gave him a disbelieving look. Kunimi ignored it. They both knew it really wasn’t fine but Kunimi wasn’t going to make a big deal about it.

 

Especially once practice started and he noticed that both Oikawa and Iwaizumi were limping.

 

He wondered if Oikawa had overworked himself again and that’s why the two were fighting.

 

It was clear that Iwaizumi thought Oikawa should be sitting on the bench but Oikawa was pointedly ignoring every single comment Iwaizumi threw his way.

 

Kunimi wondered if Kageyama was still practicing as well.

 

Things had clicked into place for Kunimi during Inter-High. His suspicions had started during the practice match with Karasuno. Well, that’s when he fully recognized them. He was pretty sure the thought had crossed his mind years before that, back when Kindaichi mentioned that Oikawa and Iwaizumi had been at the third stage of their bond for years. Because the two should have reached the fourth and final stage. Unless something was holding them back.

 

And then he thought of Kageyama and his odd fascination with the two older boys.

 

And the way he made sure to keep most of his skin covered.

 

So, he couldn’t say the thought hadn’t crossed his mind. But it really came to the forefront when the small redhead from Karasuno served the volleyball into the back of Kageyama’s head and Kunimi heard a loud curse.

 

It was expected. That had to have hurt, after all.

 

But the curse hadn’t come from Kageyama.

 

It had come from Iwaizumi.

 

Kunimi had watched with interest as Kageyama stalked toward the redhead and then began hitting himself in the back of the head. He had no idea what that motion had proved but he did know that Iwaizumi winced in time with Kageyama’s hand impacting with his head.

 

And then he saw Kageyama’s own motion of pain when Iwaizumi hit Oikawa in the back of the head during Inter-High.

 

He wondered if they were aware of it. From watching them, he didn’t think they were at the time. But now, now Iwaizumi was leaving each night whether Oikawa stayed at the gym or not. Now the two were holding whispered conversation that Oikawa obviously didn’t want to be overheard. Now, Kunimi had seen both Iwaizumi and Oikawa writing messages on their skin when the other person was standing right beside them.

 

Now he was pretty sure that they knew.

 

So, if Oikawa and Iwaizumi were arguing, was Kageyama arguing with them as well?

 

If he was, it had to be a pretty interesting thing to witness.

 

He wasn’t even sure if Kageyama would know what to do in an argument besides glare.

 

Practice ended and Kunimi was given multiple consoling looks as the rest of the team quickly dispersed before Oikawa could grab them as well. Iwaizumi clapped a hand on Kunimi’s shoulder before giving Oikawa a narrowed eyed look, one that Oikawa ignored, and then leaving. Kindaichi waved and ran after the older boy.

 

Some friend.

 

“Alright, Akira-chan! Let’s work on this.”

 

Kunimi’s shoulders slumped but he nodded his head. Oikawa gave him a bright, fake smile before handing him the volleyball. Kunimi threw the ball Oikawa’s way and then ran toward the net, jumping as Oikawa tossed it. He hit it, barely, and scrunched up his nose when it hit the ground. “A little more power behind your jumps, Akira-chan!”

 

“Right,” Kunimi murmured, already feeling tired.

 

This was going to be a long night.

 

An hour later, Kunimi was dripping sweat and ready to murder someone. “Oikawa-san, I really need to be heading out now.”

 

“One more, Akira-chan.”

 

Kunimi fought the urge to snap that it had been “one more” for the last twenty minutes. “Oikawa-san, are you okay?”

 

Oikawa’s smile slipped before coming back full force. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

“You’re limping,” Kunimi pointed out. “And you seem to be arguing with Iwaizumi-san.”

 

Oikawa, finally, dropped the smile and stared at Kunimi with narrowed eyes. “You were always observant, Kunimi-chan. You really should have been a setter.”

 

“Kageyama was better suited for that position.”

 

“Tsk,” Oikawa scowled, his hands tightening around the ball. “Tobio-chan tends to ruin things for everyone, doesn’t he? Well, it’s never too late! We could start your training now-“

 

“I’m happy with my position, Oikawa-san.”

 

“But after Yahaba leaves there won’t be a setter-“

 

“I’m sure there are plenty of setters just waiting for the chance to play,” Kunimi said quickly, knowing just how true that was. He knew there were plenty of setters sitting in the bleachers that were just itching to step on the court. He sighed and braced himself. “Did something happen between you and Kageyama?”

 

The ball dropped. Kunimi watched it bounce away. “Wh-why would you ask me about Tobio-chan?”

 

“He’s your soulmate, right?”

 

A deep exhale and then a murmured, “you really should be a setter, Akira-chan.” Oikawa cleared his throat and slowly walked toward the side of the court, clearly favoring his bad knee as he did so. Kunimi followed him hesitantly. Oikawa sat, his bad leg out in front of him and his back against the wall as he grabbed his water bottle. He met Kunimi’s eyes and motioned for him to do the same. Kunimi swallowed hard and sat beside him, carefully keeping a good distance away.

 

You never really knew what Oikawa would do.

 

“How long have you known?”

 

“I’ve actually known since Inter-High. Suspected for a while before that.”

 

“How long is a while?” Oikawa asked wryly. Kunimi shrugged. He didn’t want to get into that. “Fine, don’t tell me.” He sighed. “Tobio-chan and I got into an argument. And then I got into one with Iwa-chan.”

 

“It isn’t the first time you’ve fought with Kageyama,” Kunimi pointed out. “Or Iwaizumi-san.”

 

“No,” Oikawa agreed, shifting his leg slightly and wincing. “But this one was bad. Really bad. I said some things I shouldn’t have. And Tobio-chan did something he shouldn’t have, which makes me even angrier. And then Iwa-chan told me it’s my fault and I know that it is, kind of, but that doesn’t give Tobio-chan the right to try to hurt me!”

 

“Hurt you how?” Kunimi asked calmly, hoping that his cool tone would calm Oikawa down before he got too worked up.

 

“He threw his book bag at my knee.”

 

Kunimi’s eyebrows shot up. “He _did_? What did you say?”

 

“Akira-chan! That isn’t-“

 

“It is important,” Kunimi responded before Oikawa could finish his sentence. “Because it would take a lot for Kageyama to resort to physically hurting someone he cares about. He might take a swipe at someone but it’s never to actually cause harm. He didn’t even do that to me or Kindaichi after what we did.”

 

“He shouldn’t have done it! No matter what I said!”

 

“I agree,” Kunimi responded and Oikawa’s mouth snapped shut. “But…what do you know about Kageyama’s mother?”

 

Oikawa’s eyes narrowed. “What do _you_ know about his mother?”

 

“Not much,” Kunimi admitted, clasping his hands together. “He hasn’t told me anything but…you said yourself that I notice things. Things like bruises and the way he flinches whenever someone gets too close to him. Or how he always wore long sleeves and tried to keep everything covered. He always closed down whenever someone asked about his mom. I think…” he hesitated at speaking the words out oud for the first time. Maybe he should have said something to someone sooner but he didn’t actually have any proof. “I think he-“

 

“You think he’s been abused,” Oikawa said, dawning horror registering on his face. Kunimi shrugged as Oikawa buried his face in his hands.

 

“I mean, I don’t know for sure. But it fits, doesn’t it? And he kind of shows the signs…” he trailed off once again. “Anyway, I don’t know what happened, Oikawa-san, but I can’t see Kageyama trying to hurt anyone without a reason.” He pushed himself away from the wall and stood. “I think I’m going to head home. You should as well before Iwaizumi-san comes looking for you.”

 

Oikawa didn’t protest as Kunimi waked out of the gym.


	13. Yamaguchi and a Soulmate

Tadashi loved the idea of soulmates. Tsukki teased him often about his constant daydreams of finding his soulmate and being with her forever. He always enjoyed hearing about soulmate stories, how the people found one another. His mother often told him the story of his romance with his father (which was both a good and bad thing), and he listened closely as Tsukishima-san spoke of her meeting with her husband (Tsukki always groaned and walked away, leaving Tadashi sitting there on his own. He didn’t mind.). He always joined the group of kids at school when one was excitedly telling others about meeting their soulmate the day before. He rambled on about it to Tsukki, who was always quick to roll his eyes and put his headphones on. Tadashi didn’t mind. He knew that he could go a bit overboard sometimes and Tsukki was nice to listen to him as long as he did.

 

And he knew that when he did finally meet his soulmate, Tsukki would stand by him.

 

So, it was fine.

 

Which is why he was staring at his best friend expectantly as he told him about the sudden, mysterious pains he had begun to feel.

 

Tsukki sighed and pushed his glasses up as he pinched the bridge of his nose. “So you think you met your soulmate and you’re in the first stage of your bond.”

 

Tadashi nodded quickly, knowing his eyes were big and full of hope. “That’s what happens, right?! You meet your soulmate and that’s when the first stage starts. After you get to know each other a bit, the second stage kicks in. I keep having weird pain in my legs that I _know_ I didn’t cause!”

 

“They could be growing pain.”

 

“Tsukki! I know what that feels like! And if I go through another growth spurt, I’ll end up as tall as you!”

 

“Doubtful.”

 

“It has to be-“

 

“I get it,” Tsukki sighed, leaning back on his bed so his back was pressed against the wall. He peered at Tadashi over the top of his glasses and Tadashi continued to beam at him. He just _knew_ he was right. Something in him was singing in glee and that was the only reason for something like that.  “Fine. Maybe you did meet your soulmate. Do you know who it is?”

 

At the question, Tadashi’s face instantly turned a bright red and he quickly hid his face in his hands. “Oh?” Tsukki commented instantly, a teasing note appearing in his voice. “Something you want to share, Yamaguchi?”

 

“No!” Tadashi squeaked. What if – what if he was wrong?! That could be devastating and extremely embarrassing! Then Tsukki would tease him for the rest of his life that he thought someone else was his soulmate because he had a little, _little_ , crush!

 

“It’s Yachi, isn’t it?”

 

“Tsukki!” Tadashi moaned and Tsukki began to cackle. “Don’t laugh! What if I’m wrong? What if it’s someone else and they find out that I wanted it to be Yachi-san? What if my soulmate leaves me because she thinks that I don’t care about her? What if-“

 

“Alright, you’re done,” Tsukki said quickly, cutting him off with a loud sigh. Tadashi’s mouth snapped shut. “When did you first start feeling these…mysterious pains?”

 

“Last week.”

 

“Right. And when did you meet Yachi?”

 

“…last week.”

 

“Uh huh. And did you meet anyone new beside Yachi-san at that point.”

 

“…no.”

 

“Okay. So, logically, it isn’t unprecedented that you consider Yachi a possible candidate to be your soulmate. But you know as well as I do…possibly even better than I do, that the only way to tell for sure is by reaching the second stage of the bond and seeing if marks on your body appear on hers. And the only way to get to the second stage is to talk to her. So, what should you do?”

 

Tadashi was already shaking his head. “I- I can’t do that!”

 

Tsukki closed his eyes and sucked in a breath. “And why not? It wouldn’t be odd for you to talk to our manager, Yamaguchi. If you want to know for sure, you need to talk to her.”

 

“But-“

 

“Shut up, Yamaguchi.”

 

“Sorry, Tsukki.”

 

Tadashi managed to speak to Yachi a few times over the next few weeks and he became convinced that she was his soulmate. He would be devastated if she wasn’t. She was just so…so sweet and had such a great imagination and he found himself thinking about her all the time and…

 

And it was on the bus to Tokyo when he noticed it.

 

“Tsukki.”

 

“What?”

 

“That…that’s not mine.”

 

“What are you talking about-“ Tsukki broke off and followed Tadashi’s gaze to where a black mark was on his hand. Tadashi hadn’t even picked up a pen this morning. So the random splotch of ink on his hand couldn’t have possibly been from him. “Well, looks like you were right.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Instead of answering, Tsukki’s eyebrows rose as he nodded his head toward Yachi. Yachi, who was leaning over, writing in the journal she always carried with her. Tadashi sat up fully, leaning forward in his seat so he could peer at her hands. He had to squint but eventually he saw it.

 

A splotch of ink on her right hand.

 

In the same spot that he now had one on his.

 

Pure joy welled up inside him. He was right! He had found his soulmate and she was the most perfect-

 

And that was when the panic set in.

 

He sucked in a quick breath and leaned over, placing his forehead on his knees. “Take deep breaths,” Tsukki muttered from above him. “Everything will be fine. Why are you panicking, anyway? You wanted it to be Yachi.”

 

“I know!” Tadashi wailed quietly, making sure to keep his voice low. “But how am I supposed to tell her?! What if she doesn’t…I mean, what if she-“

 

“It’ll be fine. And you don’t have to tell her right now. Take some time to get used to it. Write her a message. I don’t know what else to say beyond that.”

 

Tadashi nodded his head, appreciating the effort and went back to concentrating on taking deep breaths.

 

*****

 

They lost every single game until Kageyama and Hinata showed up.

 

Talk about a blow to your ego.

 

But, well, Tadashi could at least say he was happy that they didn’t have to do yet another punishment.

 

“So, should I just walk up to her? Should I apologize? I mean, I have so many bruises. Especially now! And I’m sore because of all those punishments… she has to know, right?”

 

“No idea.”

 

“And tomorrow will be even worse! And she isn’t used to things like that! What if she-“

 

“I have an idea,” Tsukki suddenly said, sitting up and looking Tadashi straight in the eye. “Why don’t you ask someone that actually knows about soulmates?”

 

“…what?”

 

“Well,” Tsukki said calmly, taking a bite of his food. “I really can’t answer these questions. I don’t know much about soulmates and you know I’ve never been all that interested in meeting mine. But someone that already knows their soulmate should be able to help you.”

 

That made sense. Even if Tadashi knew that it was Tsukki’s way of telling him to bother someone else. Tadashi supposed he _had_ been pushing it a bit far today. But still… “Like who?”

 

“Kageyama.”

 

“What?!”

 

Tsukki shrugged. “He has two, right? And I’m sure he went through the same things you’re going through now. Plus, he looks as if he needs help.”

 

What? Tadashi turned his head and followed Tsukki’s eyes. Kageyama was standing at the edge of the cafeteria, his hands clenched around his tray. Tadashi instantly felt his heart drop. Kageyama just looked so…lost. “Kageyama-kun! Come join us!”  

 

Kageyama blinked, clearly startled. He seemed to be hesitant. Tadashi grimaced, knowing why, and lightly kicked Tsukki under the table. Tsukki jumped slightly and sent him a glare before sighing. “King! Are you coming or not?”

 

Despite the less than welcoming tone, Kageyama hesitantly made his way toward them, his wide eyes going from Tadashi and Tsukki, then back again. Tadashi tried to keep a welcoming smile on his face. He remembered how it felt to be the one no one wanted to be around. The one that was always picked on. And Kageyama wasn’t too bad. He was a bit closed off and quick to anger but Tadashi always thought Kageyama was a good person. When Kageyama met his eyes once more, Tadashi made sure to smile welcomingly and motioned toward the open chair beside him. Kageyama slowly sank down into the chair. Tadashi looked at Tsukki, urging him to say something, but the blond merely raised his eyebrows and smirked.

 

Damn.

 

“How did the supplementary exam go?” Tadashi said, desperate for some sort of conversation.

 

Kageyama was obviously surprised at the question. “Uh, fine. I think. Feels better than before.”

 

“Well, if it _feels_ better…” Tsukki muttered with a roll of his eyes. Tadashi watched as Kageyama’s shoulders sagged and he instantly sent a kick toward his best friend once again. Tsukki sent him a glare as he sighed in irritation. “For not focusing on comprehension, you did surprisingly well during your last exam. I’m sure you managed to skid past the 40 points required.”

 

Kageyama’s eyes snapped up toward Tsukki in awe and Tadashi had to hide a smile behind his hand at the wonder he saw in the other boys’ eyes. Tsukki just stared down at his plate. Tadashi waited for one of them to either continue the conversation or talk about something else but they both seemed pretty insistent on ignoring the situation. He bit back a sigh and decided to try again. “How was the ride here? Tanaka-san seemed a bit…worried this morning.”

 

“Terrifying,” came the instant response. Tadashi couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped at the horrified look that came over the other boy’s face. Tsukki snorted beside him and Kageyama instantly ducked his head once more.

 

Tadashi bit his lip, wondering if it would really be okay to ask Kageyama about his soulmates? He never really seemed to want to talk about it. He even had a panic attack the first time Suga questioned him about it. He glanced over toward his best friend and was surprised to see him already staring at him. He shrugged his shoulders and Tsukki’s eyes narrowed. He then motioned toward Kageyama. Tadashi bit his lip again. Tsukki rolled his eyes and pointed at the other boy.

 

Fine.

 

Tadashi felt his face begin to burn as he cleared his throat. Right. He could do this. He took a deep breath and then cleared his throat again, loudly. Tsukki jumped, banging his knee on the table. “What?” he snapped.

 

Tadashi ignored him and kept his eyes fixed on Kageyama. “Well, I…um…Kageyama-kun? Can I ask you a question?”

 

Well, that was articulate. Good job, Tadashi.

 

Confusion passed over Kageyama’s face. “Uh…sure?”

Tadashi took a deep breath and opened his mouth…but the words wouldn’t escape. Instead, all of the voices around him suddenly seemed to grow louder. Right. They were in a room with multiple other people. Anyone could overhear the conversation. _Yachi_ could overhear. He shouldn’t do this here. He shouldn’t have even brought it up! He should have-

 

“Why don’t we finish eating and then head back to the room?” Tsukki said and Tadashi felt himself relax as the words registered in his mind. Trust his best friend to understand the fight currently going on inside of him.

 

“Okay, Tsukki,” Tadashi muttered in relief. He focused in on his plate, trying to eat as quickly as possible without choking.

 

The three boys finished eating and began to walk toward their assigned room. Kageyama trailed behind after them and Tadashi glanced over his shoulder every few steps to make sure the other boy was still there and hadn’t run off somewhere. The finally entered the room and Tadashi walked over to the futons he and Tsukki had set up earlier. He nervously looked at Kageyama, who had bent down to pick up his bag, and then at the two futons he had set up for his fellow first years. “Over here!” he said to Kageyama, smiling nervously as the other boy looked at him in surprise. “I put out futons for you and Hinata. I didn’t think the two of you would want to mess with it after everything today.”

 

“Thanks,” Kageyama muttered as he threw his bag onto the ground. He sank down onto the futon and looked at Tadashi expectantly. Tadashi shifted nervously and glanced at Tsukki.

 

His best friend was looking irritated. “Hurry up already!”

 

“Sorry, Tsukki,” he said automatically as he braced himself for the upcoming conversation. He still wasn’t sure if this was a good idea. But he guessed he needed to try. I…I know this isn’t…I mean, you never really seem like you want to…but you’re the only one I know…well, besides my parents or Tsukki’s parents but I don’t really…”

 

“Wow,” Tsukki said wryly as Tadashi stumbled over his words. “How very eloquent of you. Are you channeling Hinata?”

 

Embarrassment rushed through Tadashi at the words and he just knew his face was as red as Hinata’s hair. “Tsukki!” He groaned, burying his face in his hands yet again.

 

“Just ask him,” Tsukki reprimanded.

 

Tadashi supposed he deserved that. He took a deep breath and peaked at Kageyama through his fingers, not wanting the other boy to see just how red he was. “I just…I know it’s uncomfortable for you so I didn’t want to…” he took a deep breath and dropped his hand, meeting Kageyama’s eyes. “I…think I found my soulmate.”

 

Multiple emotions passed over Kageyama’s face at the words, some of them passing so fast that Tadashi couldn’t make out what they were. There was as scowl, a sort of pained expression, hands tightening into fists, and then a calm acceptance. “Congratulations.”

 

“Uh, thanks,” Tadashi responded, rubbing the back of his neck and once again feeling like this was a bad idea. He really didn’t want to upset the other first year. But he was already into this now. He might as well see it through. “I just…I felt some sort of…connection the moment we met. And then bruises and stuff started to…I just, I don’t know what to do,” he admitted in defeat.

 

Kageyama winced. “I…might not be the best to talk to about this,” he managed to mutter as he turned his eyes away from Yamaguchi’s hopeful eyes. “I…didn’t really…know who my soulmates were until…well, years after they met. The bruises and writing just started appearing…”  


“Oh,” Tadashi said, surprised and disappointed. He hadn’t expected that answer. He hadn’t even known that was possible! He glanced at Tsukki, seeing the surprise in his friend’s eyes. So he wasn’t the only one. Good. “I guess I just assumed…”

 

“Sorry,” Kageyama responded, looking a little upset himself. Tadashi frowned. Maybe Kageyama was upset that he couldn’t help? But would Kageyama really care about something like that?

 

He didn’t know.

 

Because he really didn’t know the other boy.

 

Well, that made him feel horrible.

 

“Well, if we’re done with that,” Tsukki muttered when Tadashi sent him another imploring look. “Can we just agree that you actually talk to Hitoka-san? She’s probably panicking just as much as you are.” Tsukki sent him a mischievous smirk. “You two really are a perfect match.”

 

Tadashi whined loudly as Tsukki began to laugh. He had horrible taste in friends. His best friend was a horrible person.

 

“Your soulmate is Hitoka?” Kageyama questioned in surprise.

 

Tadashi nodded hesitantly and Kageyama’s lips twisted into a sort of awkward smile. He couldn’t help but blink in surprise, having never seen that forced smile outside of the volleyball court. Tsukki laughed. Tadashi sent his best friend a glare that was ignored by the blond. “Seriously, you should go speak to Hitoka,” Tsukki said, rolling his eyes and grabbing his headphones.

 

Tadashi hesitated, glancing at Kageyama, only to see the other boy grabbing his phone and pulling up some videos. Well, alright then. Apparently he was outnumbered.

 

He slowly made his way out of the room and toward the gym where he had seen Yachi going after dinner that night. He wasn’t sure if she was still there but it was the first place he knew to look.

 

Luckily for him, Yachi was listening to Daichi and Suga as they talked in a low tone. “Uh, Yachi-san? Can I speak to you?” Tadashi asked nervously. The entire group glanced at him in surprise for a moment and then Yachi bowed toward the third years and made her excuses.

 

“Yamaguchi-kun? Is everything okay?” the blond girl asked worriedly, ringing her hands in front of her as the two stepped out of the gym.

 

“Yes! I mean, I think it is. I don’t really know how to…I mean, Tsukki said I should and Kageyama did too…”

 

“Kageyama-kun?”

 

“Yes! He said we should talk. I, uh, noticed it that day we met but I wasn’t sure…and then there were bruises but they were all ones that I had because of volleyball practice and I never got close enough to really see if you…but then there was a pen mark on the bus and you were writing and Tsukki showed me that you…”

 

Yachi’s eyes were growing wider and wider as Tadashi began to ramble. He tried to stop himself, really, he did, but the words just kept coming. It wasn’t until Yachi reached out and grabbed his right hand, peering at it curiously, that Tadashi was able to snap his mouth shut.

 

Mostly because he was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to speak even if he had tried at this point.

 

Because Yachi was holding onto his hand.

 

He gaped at her, wondering what exactly she was looking at, when Yachi glanced up at him with wide eyes. She looked at his face for only a moment, then down at their hands, before her face slowly began to turn bright red. She squeaked and jumped back, dropping his hand as she apologized frantically. Tadashi was quick to reassure her it was okay and the two of them stood in silence. Tadashi shifted from one foot to the other, not really sure what to do. Should he try to explain yet again? He hadn’t really made much sense the first time. But what if he started to ramble again? He could ruin his chance before he even really had one! No, he needed to take a deep breath and-

 

“I’m glad.”

 

-and what now? “Sorry?”

 

“No! Don’t be sorry! I mean, I’m glad that you’re…I saw them. The bruises. But I had met so many people with the club and then I was scared because it could have been…well, I’m happy that it’s you,” she finished, the blush bright on her cheeks. Tadashi stared at her in shock.

 

She was…glad it was him?

 

“I…me too.”


	14. Akaashi and Realizations

Keiji had grown up hearing stories about his mothers’ brother. His grandmother liked to use his experience as a cautionary tale. From the moment he learned about soulmates, his grandmother told him about his uncle.

 

_“Now, you must remember to be true to your soulmate, Keiji,” his grandmother stated as they all sat around the table. Keiji, who had been looking at his plate, blinked and glanced up at the older woman. Her dark eyes were fixated on him seriously, all playfulness completely missing._

_“Sorry?” he questioned slowly. His brows furrowed as he thought about the statement. They had just began studying the soulmate phenomenon in his elementary class and his mother and father had gone into deeper detail just the night before. Keiji supposed it was interesting and it would be exciting, he supposed, when it actually happened to him. But that didn’t explain his grandmothers’ statement. Be true to his soulmate? Did she think that he would lie to his soulmate about something? Had that happened to her? His mother had said her parents were soulmates, just like she and his father were._

_“For some, it takes many years to meet their soulmate,” his grandmother explained. “So they find another person that they…feel connected to and settle for them. But fate doesn’t work like that. Fate will eventually lead you to the person you are supposed to be with. Do you want your soulmate to think that you didn’t care enough to wait for them?”_

_“Mother,” Keiji’s mother cut in, her glare sharp. “There are some cases where-“_

_“Yes, some,” his grandmother snapped back. “But look at your brother! He refused to listen and-“_

_“Taku loved Ayame,” Keiji’s mother sighed and Keiji could easily catch the weariness and impatience in her tone. He knew that voice. It was the voice she used with him or his father when they had spoken of a topic multiple times and she was refusing to change her mind. He supposed that this was something that had been talked about often. “Yes, the relationship ran its course and Taku met Maeko. Taku should have ended whatever he had with Ayame when he realized he was no longer in love with her. There were multiple people at fault –“_

_“If Taku had just listened to me, none of that unpleasantness would have happened!” Keiji’s grandmother responded. She pointedly ignored Keiji’s mother when she turned her attention back toward her grandson. “You see, Keiji, your uncle decided to begin a relationship with a young woman during high school. They continued their relationship up until the moment that Taku met his soulmate. He and the other woman ended their relationship in a very disagreeable manner and the young woman destroyed her life by dropping out of school and disappearing. Your uncle was so distraught over the situation that he and his soulmate had a rough time connecting and it took them years to actually-“_

_“Enough!” Keiji’s mother broke in. “If Keiji decided to date someone before he meets his soulmate, I will support him in that. And there are cases of people never meeting their soulmate. Some die. Some find other relationships. It is not a guarantee, no matter what the stories say. I would rather Keiji be with someone he can grow to love than be alone throughout his life.”_

_The rest of the dinner was spent in silence._

 

Keiji had known that he had an uncle that died when he was young. One of his first memories was of his mother breaking down into tears when his grandmother called her after she had received the news. If he tried _really_ hard, he could almost remember the man playing with him. He couldn’t remember his uncle’s wife at all but he supposed that wasn’t surprising. Over the years, more of the story had been recounted and Keiji had probably only met his uncle’s soulmate a handful of times.

 

His grandmother had pictures of his uncle around her house and Keiji had seen them often. Often enough that he froze, startled, when the first year from Karasuno barged into the gym during their weekend training camp.

 

The resemblance was remarkable. The same dark hair. The same eyes. The boy looked like Keiji’s mother. Like his uncle. It was…odd, seeing such features on a complete stranger.

 

He kept a watch on the first year the rest of the day. He didn’t understand _why_ he was doing so but he felt as if he should. At first, it was just because of the likeness to members of his family. But, the longer he watched, the more intrigued he was. The first-year was impressive. He could understand why Nekoma had such a hard time with them during their practice match. He could also understand why Kenma had scrunched his nose up when Karasuno’s setter was mentioned.

 

A player like that would certainly make someone like Kenma uncomfortable.

 

As he spread across his futon that night, Bokuto snoring loudly on the futon beside him, his mind kept repeating the story his grandmother often repeated to him and the boy he had seen that day. The boy, he was almost certain he heard the captain of Karasuno refer to him as Kageyama, had a striking resemblance to his mother and uncle. He was a year younger than Keiji and, if he remembered correctly, it was around the time of Keiji’s birth that his uncle met his soulmate and ended his relationship. When he tried to check on his ex-girlfriend, he found that she had dropped out of school and left Tokyo completely. Keiji had always thought it was an extreme reaction, especially since his mother had told him that the two didn’t even share any classes and lived in separate buildings. It would have been easy to avoid the person you didn’t want to see so why would you abandon your studies and move from your home?

 

Kageyama flashed before Keiji’s eyes yet again.

 

Well, that would be a reason.

 

But this was ridiculous. It was like something out of one of those dramas his mother secretly liked to watch. Keiji sighed and rolled over onto his side. Best to shake the idea out of his head and get some sleep.

 

He didn’t succeed.

 

The next day, he found himself sitting beside the Karasuno third years. He bowed his head as the three of them blinked in surprise. “Sorry to bother you but I would like to ask a question. Do you mind?”

 

The three exchanged an uneasy glance but finally the third-year setter nodded his head. “Of course. It’s Akaashi, right?”

  
“Yes, sorry,” Keiji said, cringing at the impoliteness of his actions. “Akaashi Keiji. Second year.”

 

“Fukurōdani vice-captain and setter,” Karasuno’s captain said with a smile. “What can we do for you?”

 

And that was when Keiji hesitated. His actions were very unlike him. He didn’t usually rely on instinct or “gut feelings” like many others. He analyzed situations, took in the information, and figured out the best way to proceed. So that was what he wanted to do. Get as much information as he possibly could.

 

Even if he felt guilty when doing so.

 

“Kageyama-kun,” Keiji finally said when he realized he was taking too long. The open expressions on the third-years faces fell away instantly. He watched as the three exchanged glances once more.

 

“Did Kageyama say or do something?” The captain finally questioned.

 

Keiji shook his head quickly though he wondered just how many complaints the three had received about the first year. “Not at all. I am aware that this seems odd, but do you know anything about his family?”

 

The third-year setter’s eyes narrowed dangerously as his head tilted to the side. Keiji inwardly shuddered at the sharp smile the older boy wore. “His family? Sorry, we don’t have any information about that.”

 

_I don’t believe you._

He didn’t know why. Maybe it was the way the vice-captain had tightened his hands into fists. Or the way the captain was glancing over his shoulder, as if he didn’t want anyone else to overhear the conversation. Or maybe it was because of the startled whimper the ace let out when Keiji asked the question. Despite not believing the words, Keiji respected them. He wouldn’t have given out information about anyone on his team without a good reason. And, in truth, Keiji didn’t have a good reason.

 

Not at the moment, anyway.

 

“Keiji? Is everything okay?” his mother’s voice came through the phone later that night, hurried in her surprise. “You never call me when you’re at camp.”

 

“Everything is fine,” Keiji responded calmly. He didn’t want her to be worried without reason. “I have something to ask you and I would rather you not question me on the reason.”

 

There was silence as his mother processed the request. It was not typical of him to ask such a thing and he could almost see her mind running through the possible reasons. But, as he hoped, his mother trusted him enough to know that he wouldn’t have asked such a thing if there was any possibility of him or someone else being harmed. “Alright,” she finally said. “What is the question?”

 

Keiji swallowed hard. “The woman Uncle Taku dated. What was her name?”

 

The silence lasted long enough that Keiji wondered if their phones had dropped the connection. He was getting ready to pull the phone away from his ear to check when his mother finally spoke. “Keiji, I’m sure your grandmother has said the name often enough that you know it.“

 

“She always uses her given name,” Keiji responded. “But I do not know her family name.”

 

There was yet another moment of silence. “I see. It’s Kageyama. Her name was Kageyama Ayame.”

 

Keiji barely heard his mother asking if he was alright as he dropped the phone to the ground.


End file.
